Happy New Year!

We were just outside (10:30p) shooting off a few fireworks. Fret not, family; there are still a few left for July 4th. :)

Took zero pictures today, because I was either working inside or outside. Both photos in this post were taken yesterday, during a brief appearance by the sun just before sunset.

Our two cords of wood are now completely split, and the only stuff left to do are the rounds I ferried across the river; they're still down by the dock.

New Year's Eve was always a struggle for me, because a) I don't drink; b) I don't stay up late; c) I'm not a party person. Oh, and d) I'm not a social person. I've made it to midnight many times, including for the fake millenium celebration in 2000. I was in Kent Washington, and walked over to a small park where people were (illegally) shooting fireworks. I guess I was curious to see if the power would go out, America would collapse, etc.

Tonight is more casual, and but for neighbors' fireworks, I may be asleep by midnight.

I remember staying up in Spokane, watching Dick Clark, then going outside with those spinny noisemakers and little quasi-kazoo horns.

Last picture for the year, taken yesterday from the riverbank. Peace, blessings, and good fortune to everyone in the new year. -Bob

Let it Snow, and Snow, and Snow

Bob here, with a few shots and thoughts from today. It's snowed almost continuously for two days, maybe ten new inches. Also in that time, there's been a group (herdette) of six whitetail deer around, including this cute little fella. A genuinely nice surprise today was Monique realizing one of them is Mutt, the uni-antlered young buck we saw so much of in autumn. Good to see he made it through hunting season, and good to see him hanging out with some cute females.

Christmas was relaxing, unstressful, peaceful, and fun. It was so quiet -- no logging trucks -- and so beautiful with snow and critters about. I didn't overdo on food, except maybe popcorn; the last three nights we've watched each part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (extend-o version).

Monique's building a jigsaw puzzle, one of her favorite things to do here at the "Cabin," and perfect for this time of year. Yesterday after chopping some wood, I took the kind of catnap where when you wake up, you're exhausted the rest of the day.

Today at lunch we drove up Bear Creek Road for a hike. We walked for over an hour, and combined to take a couple hundred photos. There were deer tracks, old cross-country ski tracks, and older ATV tracks, but no other footprints we saw. The smallest, thinnest tree branches had inches of snow perched on them. The slightest breeze, of which there very few, sent snow cascading down through the trees.

You always hear the hum of trucks in the valley from Bear Creek, but it was so lovely up there, snowing lightly, and as I said, we didn't see or really hear anyone else. A big doe sprang across the road, but I had no chance for a picture. If a couple more inches falls, it'll be time to break out the snowshoes!!

Making our way back to the truck, you can see Monique found a big ol' pothole in the road. But she didn't panic, and my old lifeguard skills (and a large pine branch) got her out safe and sound.

Kidding!

We got home, cranked up the wood stove, hung the wet bits to dry, and thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon: turkeys and deer stopped by for bird seed, snow fell, we both got good work done, and another grand day here slipped into evening. I don't want to take the Christmas lights down until there's no snow. It's soooo cool out there!

Merry Christmas

Several snowflakes per minute are falling as our music server randomly serves up Amy Grant, Vince Guaraldi, "Christmas Cocktails," Chanticleer, and about 90 other artists. Some songs are downright scary, obviously made because, as an "artist," you have to have a Christmas CD. Others are supremely beautiful. Our newest favorite CD is "Have Yourself A Prairie Christmas" by our dear friends Edd and Theresa. Tremendously gifted people, them.

Yesterday before Monique's niece Sarah came over, we went for a river walk. It was very quiet and peaceful, and it started snowing. Later, with cookies and ornaments made and wrapped, we took Sarah home and had a blast at their party. Kids, lots of presents and lots of good food!

Expectations are fickle critters, especially around Christmas, music, and church. Admittedly mine were not high as we drove to Bethany Lutheran church in Bigfork for their candlelight service (after fifteen years at Immanuel in Seattle with Joan Lundquist as music director, and Kevin's sermons at Advent in Mill creek, I'm spoiled). Last night I was very pleasantly surprised with the sermon and the music, both supplied by pastor Joe Strandjord.

Last Christmas Eve at Immanuel we heard a sermon I can only call dreck. Being at Advent Lutheran for the 11p service felt like taking a shower, and completely underscored, reinforced, and exemplified our reasons for leaving Immanuel.

After the service we came home, opened a present each, and watched the 1951 "A Christmas Carol" with Alistair Sim. In places it veers wildly from the book, but Mr. Sim's Scrooge is my favorite movie version. Overall, and without doubt, Strawberry Theatre Workshop's Fellow Passengers is now on top of my list. I hope they do it again sometime!

It's now snowing for real, Harry Connick Jr. is on, the Jell-O is setting, the turkey is being prepped, and munchies and goodies abound.

Merry Christmas!

Moonrise and Cancer

A cord of wood is 128 cubic feet (3.6 cubic metres). The first time I bought firewood here, a guy showed up in his little pickup with a huge load of wood. He assured me it was a "fat" cord, meaning over the standard. By the time I got it stacked and could take a rough measure, I realized it was, at most, half a cord. Rrrrrg

We have some of that left, but hopes for a real winter prompted me to call another guy and, and today he delivered it. A cord of wood is 128 cubic feet (3.6 cubic metres) or, to a layman like myself, a big-ass pile of wood.

I like splitting wood, and so asked for it un-split. Maybe woulda been better to ask for a little un-split, 'cause we have about 40 "rounds" that weigh at least 50 pounds each.

As I stacked this afternoon, the moon rose over the Swan range as the solstice sun threw bright pink light on the mountain. Didn't grab my camera, but I revel in knowing there will be other moonrises over the snow-covered mountains.

Got an e-mail from a dear friend today with the horrible news that she has leukemia. I don't know what to write, say, pray for, or think. We're not in the same city anymore, and don't see each other every week at church like we did for over a decade. Sometimes a good long hug says what needs said. She's got a large community of support for those hugs and love, and lots of remote support from Bigfork, Montana.

Weather of a dynamic sort

So much fun with this crazy weather. Sun, sleet, snow, rain. Last weekend we were in Hall visiting Monique's folks. First time taking the truck on a road trip, and it did great. It was good seeing her parents, too, as it had been over a year since I spent time with them.

The electric co-op was by this week to clear trees. Sad to see young and healthy trees felled because one day they'll be tall enough to interfere with power lines. Over the next few years I'll be more vigilant and make sure young 'uns growing in the ditch are transplanted someplace nice and safe.

The wind's been amazing, and giant clumps of snow crash off the roof. Oh, and the turkeys are starting to rap on the windows. We may try cardboard cutouts of foxes propped in the windows to dissuade the goofballs. And think, Franklin wanted the turkey as our national bird. At least, that's what I think I remember from 5th-grade history.

Beautiful Snow

I remember watching breathless Seattle reporters when snow fell. With an inch on the ground, they'd jam a ruler into a lawn and say, with a straight face, "You see here, already four to six inches, and there could be much more in places."

To which I say "nine". From yesterday at noon, through early this morning. Powdery, but not drifted. Nine inches.

We woke up to a glorious morning, and though clouds came through a couple times, blue sky and sunshine dominated, and it was stellar. Yesterday morning there was no snow around here. This morning there was a deep blanket of pure powder.

Between projects at work, I ran around outside like a spastic puppy. Took over 300 pictures today... with white snow in trees, clear blue sky, and a river, it's not a difficult task to take some good ones. I made tracks all over the field, sometimes following a deer path, other times going off on my own.

I remember Spokane, playing at recess at Indian Trail Elementary, throwing snowballs or frozen pinecones into fresh snow-laden trees, trying to get them to dump their snow either on us or our friends. Sledding at Holmberg Park, or on one of the small hills near our house.

Today was cold, invigorating, and completely why we moved here; very little traffic, quiet, beautiful, peaceful, wonderful. Last night while it was snowing hard, we went for a walk. Down this lane and that one, we didn't go far, but snow creates new landscapes and exciting possibilities of exploration. Our lone tree out by the road simply glows with snow on it. LED Christmas lights are beautiful and energy-efficient.

Gotta post some photos on my website... soon!

PJs, Christmas Lights, Peppermint treats and Stars

that is part of my list of things I'm grateful for tonight....(and of course I'm grateful for Bob who was smart enough to put all those things together and suggest that we go for a quick drive over to Bigfork to look at the lights while in our pjs. BEST IDEA EVER...well...ok...but it's got to be close. ;)

Bigfork has done a fine job in showing their holiday spirit with plenty of the big 'old-school' lights hanging from the trees and rafters as well as some of the newer LED lights. My favorite I think was the way they've decorated the old one lane bridge into town...garland and lights and trees with red bows....very classy!

My favorite part of the field trip however, (besides the spontaneous idea and implementation) was having the holiday lights topped by the original Christmas lights already hanging in the sky. The night is clear and dark and the fact that you can tell just how much the Earth has tilted by the new placement of the Milky Way in the night sky is truly awe inspiring.

It was a refreshing night, not only from the frosty temperature....but from the stress of the day having spent most of it at the hospital with my Sister-in-law and my niece. Nicole needed some pretty extensive dental surgery and so they had to do it at the hospital where they could put her under. The surgery took a little over an hour, but with the prep and the waiting...we were there from 9:30 until almost 2:00....Nicole did well considering that she's only three!

So needless to say this evenings jaunt was a blessing and a needed change....Bob and I enjoyed a small peppermint blizzard (thanks to Dairy Queen) and then returned to our warm cabin---which is also nicely lit with four outdoor trees covered in small LED lights and our first Christmas tree here together...it is the perfect size and the perfect fit in our lovely space. Our collection of ornaments are all out and shining nicely and if there was ever any doubt of what time of year it is....doubt no more.

Tomorrow: Karen and Terran are coming for visit so that we can watch Terran's stage debut in the Pied Piper with Missoula Children's Theater and so that we can make (and I'm sure snack on a few) Christmas cookies.

Blessed.

Settled In for the Night

I found this "stick ice feather" yesterday in the shallows of the river. Patterns in nature fascinate me. From butterfly wings to riverbank shapes, nautilus shells to fractal geometry, beauty is beauty.

A few days ago Monique saw a bald eagle swoop up right over the house; I was outside too, but on the opposite side of the house. Never saw a thing.

I try to pay attention. It focuses my mind, connects me to my imagination, and inspires me to learn about critters. We have a group of ladybugs wintering under the wood pile on the deck, and wild turkeys are visiting regularly. Monique found a beautiful spider egg sack on the underside of a stick yesterday -- it was like a pale yellow polka-dotted candy egg. I'm amazed by teeny insects and fragile-looking deer surviving sub-freezing temperatures.

This photo shows prints on a tenuous thin sheet of ice... I'm pretty sure it's from a feral cat. We've seen a couple different cats around here, but I haven't seen one in the past few weeks. Snow is nature's fingerprinter.

Tomorrow is my dad's birthday -- Happy Birthday, Pop!

Mostly Photos

Roger Smith died today. He was made famous to most of us through Michael Moore's documentary Roger & Me, about GM's massive plant closings in Flint Michigan in the late 1980's, and a few of the real people it affected. Condolences to his family and friends.

Tonight after dinner, we watched Roger and Me. I won't get political or rebellious tonight, so I'll just say Moore, who was much softer in those days, really skewered Smith, GM, and some blind (and/or clueless) supporters like Pat Boone, Miss America^TM© Kay Lani Rea Rafko, and a couple unforgettable mid-level county cogs straight out of Guffman's Blaine, Missouri (great analogy, Monique!).

It got up to 20° today, and for the very brief time the sun was out, I was down by the river taking pictures. The clouds chased the sun it as rose, eventually catching and overtaking it.

Frozen droplets

Steam and frost
Very cold water acting like hot springs...
Rocks in IceMorning Serenity

Chilly Morning

Cold, clear, moonlight spills in the windows. Baby, it's cold outside! The forecast said a low of 5°F (-15°C); what it actually is, I don't know.

The stars are absolutely brilliant this morning, and the waning moon is high. Last night, before the moon rose... the stars were stunning. When I was in Seattle in October, we attended Strawberry Theater Workshop's "The Life of Galileo," which I liked for three reasons:

1. Our friend Andrew Litzky was in it, and dangit, he's good.
2. It's uncomfortably and unfortunately relevant to today's struggle between science -- and sometimes plain common sense -- and the increasingly co-mingled church-run government. In Galileo's day, the church was the government... you see my point.
3. I've always loved imagining what a place was like before electricity. Imagine the world before incandescent lights. Imagine what the stars, and more importantly, the moon and the sun, meant to people.
   

And the cold reminds me of the first season of "West Wing", the Christmas episode, "In Excelsis Deo." The main story is, a homeless person dies in the cold, Toby is contacted by the police because the man was wearing an overcoat Toby had donated, and Toby discovers who the homeless man. It was the first "West Wing" I ever saw, I've now seen them all, and that one is still my favorite.

Cold is good when one is protected from it. We are, and I'm very grateful.

New Additions

(Bob) We have a wood-burning stove, firewood, and many matches. We have warm clothes, hats, boots, and an endless supply of pinecones to fend off potential wildlife attacks. And now we have a truck.

A 4WD Ford F-150 joined our ranks today. It's the same color as the Honda, and about seven times bigger.

It feels good having a four-wheel-drive vehicle for the winter, and something we can use for hauling, hiking, camping, and maybe someday, towing.

Last night the forecast was 100% chance of snow. Outstanding, we thought. This morning we awoke to find it had snowed -- about 1/8 of an inch. This afternoon it came a little more steady, and it's so beautiful. Kalispell has almost no snow, and while we don't have much, it's sticking here, probably owing to our proximity to the mountains.

Buying big-ticket items has always been hard for me. Cars, stereos, cameras, ... I simply don't spend money freely. Never have. The truck -- our truck! -- was a good price, we feel good about the seller, Monique's brother gave his mechanic blessing, and we definitely needed a winter vehicle. With all that, my natural inclination is procrastination and (to cut myself a break) frugality.

Our Christmas decorations are out, but the house isn't quite fully festooned yet. We've put lights on a few trees outside, and they look so good! Literally, there are no other lights visible from our cabin, one of the best things about living here.

Thanksgiving in Spokane was great. We had a good time with my family, despite a scary (and a completely happy ending) MIA episode with Silas (Mr. November on flickr). The Dinner was incredible as always, and the day-after shopping went well and quickly.

Stupid Sink

Heard dripping while I was doing dishes tonight. Didn't notice it for a while because, well, I was doing dishes. And singing. But when I drained the sink, I distinctly heard dripping down where there ought not to be none. I opened the cabinet door et voila, one of the pipes had separated from the sink drain! Took about 20 minutes to clean under the sink, towel everything off, and jam stuff back together. Dunno why it happened or if my "fix" is secure; it must've been coming loose for a while. Crazy.

On a far better note, a few pics from yesterday and today. S'posed to hit the mid-teens tonight, and maybe a little more snow. FINE BY ME!!

A: Waders, Towels, and a Small Inflatable Raft

Q: How do you get a thousand pounds of wood from one side of the river to the other?

Yesterday morning I took a friend's borrowed chainsaw and set out for the downed trees across the river. As the crow flies, it's maybe 75 yards. Driving there takes about ten minutes, and another couple to walk to the water's edge. Thank goodness there isn't a road that goes to the riverbank, but had I wanted to carry logs home in the trunk of my car, I couldn't have gotten the big ones through the brush and woods to my car in any easy way. And it would have taken at least ten trips.

Physically the hardest part of the whole day was getting the chainsaw warm. For the first 45 minutes, I expended huge energy pulling and pulling to get it going, only to have it work a minute, then sputter and die. Once warmed up it worked great, and I'm grateful to Marty and Susan for lending it to me.

I got ten big logs (18" diameter) and 28 small (6" diameter). My path is artfully charted below.
Paddle to the tree, put one large and a couple small logs on towels in the raft, shove off, and paddle to the dock. Empty the raft, repeat.

By the time I got the last logs over, it had been raining hard for a couple hours. My waders worked perfectly, and while I was cold, I wasn't wet.

After a very long shower and a big dinner of lasagna, sparkling cider, and ibuprofin, I sat by the fire and listened to the pouring rain. I'd like to get more of the tree, but I'm sore. Hands, back, neck, shoulders, intercostals... all of it.

Best part of the day was the wildlife. Saw two turkeys the size of barstools, a small ruffed grouse, and while struggling to get a log into the raft, a bald eagle flew upriver, only twenty feet off the water. I love owls and ravens, but bald eagles are so impressive.

Today will be about a walk, maybe watching "30 Rock" and "Scrubs" on the internet, and stretching. I should take advantage of the chainsaw while I have it, yet self-preservation and pragmatism will likely win out. I appreciate this about myself.

about the weather...

(Monique here) We had a big wind storm last night that blew down a couple of trees across the river (thankfully nothing on our side!)....now to try and figure out how to get the wood from those fallen trees cut and floated across to us! A slightly easier task in a warmer season...but then we wouldn't need the wood!

Today was a beautiful moody day...with sun beams and dark clouds fighting for center stage. And since it was my last full day at home for a week I was glad to have the opportunity to be here to witness it.

Nature is good.

A Frosty Path

The landscape outside was covered in silver this morning when we woke...the bright lovely morning light with a pretty hard frost was enough to get us up and grabbing cameras and slippers to go play outside....until it started snowing! Yes!! Our first real solid snow fall in the lowlands. Nothing is on the ground yet, and the snow didn't last nearly as long as either of us wished it would, but as I type this another round of weather seems to be approaching...perhaps we'll have a nice cozy snowy Sunday yet....

(and I can say cozy since we have a lovely wood stove with a nice warm fire going in it!)

I got a couple of fun shots, but as always,

I can't wait to see Bob's photos!

Glass and Fishes

Saturday was momentous. Not only did Greg ("The Guy") show up to replace the windows, but he was on time, he brought his near-stoic chocolate lab along, and the job went smoothly!

Clear glass! No moisture betwixt panes! It's magic, it's wondrous, it's... it's beautiful.

I've learned more about how my house works, how relatively easy it is to replace the glass in our windows, and just exactly how heavy double-pane 4'x5' windows are.

Sunday I went fishing on the St. Joe river in Idaho with my dad and his friend Tom. It was my first time seeing the St. Joe -- what a beautiful area, and what a beautiful river.

We caught over 20 trout in about four hours, mostly rainbow and a couple brown. Catch and release is a good thing, and with barb-less hooks, it's pretty easy to get them back in the water quickly.

Dad caught the first fish, the biggest fish (15 inches), and the most fish. Because of his bad knees and the terrain from the road to the riverside, he also made the most noise. And when he's fishing well, he spreads the love, making sure the rest of his party knows just how well he's doing.

Busy Weekend Ahead

Everywhere I've lived, people say "Well, you know what they say: if you don't like the weather, just wait 15 minutes, 'cause it'll change!"

This place is no exception. It's Saturday morning, the last day of Daylight Saving Time this year. It's cloudy, and it is dark. I went outside to see if Venus was around, but clouds are scattered in this part of the valley. There's a south wind, much warmer than the previous couple days. Yesterday at noon there was still ice on the river (where the sun hadn't reached the shallows).

Today, for the second time, I'll finish the "Harry Potter" series. Hard to imagine western storytelling without it. Just ten years ago, a poor, unknown author was finishing up the first chapter about an orphan boy who didn't know he was a wizard. The bulk of the whole story was laid out and thought through, which is only partly why it's so good. It's remarkable to think she used her initials because her publisher worried about a woman not being marketable to boys. Then again, nobody wanted to back Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" movies because they didn't know if that could be profitable. Ahh, experts.

So "Harry Potter" will finish today, and the front windows will be replaced in a couple hours. What hesitation in typing that sentence! What trepidation, challenging fate to ignore the appointment!

I feel completely unprepared for winter. The wood stove is in and working beautifully. I need to get studded snow tires for the Honda. And we need a 4wd. And to figure out a way to protect both from the weather. And wood -- we need more wood, and a dry spot to store it.

I want winter. I want deep snow and cold. But I've procrastinated and now we're in November and it could happen any time.

En Fuego

This is a picture of winter security, of cozy warmth against a (hopefully) long, cold winter. This is a picture of a herkin' heavy wood stove that is now in "The Cabin"!

Two burly guys delivered and installed it, complete with tall stovepipe, chimney on the roof, and only two thankfully small incidents: 1) the guy on the roof cut his elbow on some metal sheeting, and 2) the guy on the ladder inside slipped off and twisted his ankle. Couldn't have been too bad, though, as he refused any Costco-sized ibuprofin.

Here's a shot with a hole in the roof. Lemmee tell ya, as a homeowner who's just recently become a full-time resident of said home, I was fascinated at how easy it was (for someone who knows what he's doing) to cut a hole in the ceiling, remove some insulation, and cut a hole in the roof!!

There's no way I'll be trying any of that stuff anytime soon, but it certainly helped reduce the mystery of how people routinely whack holes in their houses for the sake of "home improvement."

The guys did a great job, and my only complaint is a small one: they didn't clean up their job site well. Inside they vacuumed and picked up everything very well, but outside I found metal roofing, plywood, and other bits and pieces that had just been thrown to the ground. It would have taken a minute to clean it up, but they didn't. That's the ONLY reason I don't give them an A+ for the morning's work... they'll have to settle for an A.


Now all that's left is finding a cord or two of good wood and, theme of "The Cabin" so far, someplace to store it.

The Spokane/Seattle trip was good, although short for me. Got to see and spend some good time with my parents and sister, Andrew and Llysa, Edd and Theresa, and my godson Nickolas and his newish baby sister Rowan. Had some great food, saw a good play, drove a heckuva lot, and dropped Monique in Seattle for a week of meetings and work. Can't wait until she's back so we can lounge by the fire and figure out where all the furniture goes that used to be in that corner.

This last pic is a stitching of five I took this afternoon... the right side is just slightly darker than reality was, but I'm pretty happy with the panorama result.

Wowzers

(Bob) Yesterday evening this was our sunset. Last throes of pink daylight, moonrise, snow sprinkled on the mountains. And it was a very warm day, which is why there isn't much snow left.

Venus in the morning has caught and held my attention the last couple mornings, so bright and big in the eastern sky. As a kid, and thankfully still today, I wonder what the sky looked like before electric light washed so much of it away. It's no wonder people worshipped, feared, followed, and "read" the night sky.

Imagine: a strong meteor shower with no moon and no interfering light, anywhere.

A crisp, cold, winter night, and the full moon illuminating a valley.

A moonless winter solstice in upper Canada or Alaska, with the Aurora Borealis dancing for days.

Imagine (types the guy with more lights on in the house than he needs) what the night sky looked like just a few hundred years ago.

Oh, and yesterday on my river walk I saw a HUGE crawdad (is that the same as a crayfish?) eating a smaller one. There certainly won't be many days left this year where an hour-long walk in the water will feel as good as that one did.

Yesterday at lunch we moved Monique's granparents' rosebush from beside the garage on their old farm to just by the cabin here. It's about seven feet tall, and should thrive nicely in the sunny spot. I wish there was a way to save that property.

Contacted "The Guy" #3 about our windows -- he's coming out next Monday afternoon to take a look at the job. Please, please, please.

all in the family...

We got to visit with my Brother's family tonight...Sarah is next to me, Nicole is playing hide and seek and that handsome little fella on the left is Justin....what a cutie! It was great getting to see everyone and to hear Nicole chatter away (Basically trying to say everything that her big sister--light of her life--was trying to tell us), and to see how much Justin has grown. My other favorite thing was watching Justin taking everything in...and the special little moment between him and Bob.....

Hunting Season

(Bob) Saturday morning some bowhunters asked my cousin Tom for permission to track a young buck on his property; they'd shot it on a neighbor's property. He agreed, went with them, and after an hour they found the arrow had worked itself out, and the deer had crossed the highway.

It made me think about when I hunted vs. how I feel now.

Then, I was in my mid-teens, and hunting was a trip to Big Sandy, MT with my dad, to his uncle Ed's farm, the Blazek homestead.

Now, I'm a 41-year-old homeowner on land that's been in my mom's family for 65 years, and hunting means listening to shotgun and rifle blasts that sound pretty darn close.

Then, it was tracking mule deer near the Missouri River breaks.

Now, it's seeing big trucks and laden ATV's going after white tail deer around the Flathead Valley.

Then, it was me hoping for the opportunity to take down a big buck with my 30-30.

Now, it's me hoping "our" deer, especially the dork brothers Mutt & Jeff, survive to next fall so I can shake the apple trees and give them more sustenance for the winter.

Quick note: "shake the apple trees" is not a figure of speech or a metaphor. I mean, à la bears, literally shaking a tree so ripe apples come a-tumblin' down.

I appreciate that Tom let the guys on his property and went with them. And I appreciate that they were bowhunters. At 17, with my rifle, I was skilled and lucky enough to get a trotting buck from about 125 yards away. Had I needed to be 95 yards closer for a bow shot, it never woulda happened. Here in western Montana it's easier hunting with bow and arrow because there are so many places to hide. Out on the rolling open plains of eastern Montana, I can't imagine how much more difficult it is.

I love venison, and have no problem whatsoever with deer hunting. Play by the rules, act responsibly, respect the property you're on, use the meat, and it's fine with me.

I have zero respect for hunters who break the law, act like idiots, or only go for "trophy" bucks. My dad and great-uncle Ed taught me well.

P.S. If your soul, your self-respect, and your doodle are so infinitesimally small that you hunt on game farms, well, you're just a putz.

P.P.S. About 6:30pm, as dusk hit its stride, Jeff wandered by the deck, eating some bird seed on the ground. He looks good, and while I hope the arrow-wounded deer wasn't Mutt, it is that time of year, and bucks should head for the hills.

Random Thursday Thoughts

Hmm... maybe a smidge overexposed on the sun?

A nice foggy morning.

Bob here, typing away as the dark Montana night is diluted by a couple fluorescent bulbs on the river side of the house, and that #@*$ doorbell light on the road side. I swear, one of these days that thing's goin' away.

It's sadly ironic that people move to the country to get away from the city, then they can't stand the benefits of the country: quiet, dark, far from stuff! I have no problem with porch lights, lights for a driveway, etc., but please -- dual 300-watt pink mercury halogen spotlights to light your single-wide and the rusting '83 Monte Carlo you swear you're going to restore someday? I think some people are fundamentally afraid of the dark. The Milky Way is stunning.

Hey, speaking of less than dependable handymen, the guy who was supposed to replace our big 4'x5' double-pane windows last Friday didn't show up. It was raining, so I said Monday was fine. He called late Monday morning, noted that it was sprinkling in the area, and said "We'll play it by ear, but I should be out there this afternoon." Monday afternoon was gorgeous, all of Tuesday was stupendously nice, but no "The Guy." It's Thursday evening, and not a peep in response to the messages I've left. Plan B kicks in tomorrow (hint: it involves finding a new "The Guy").

One the deer missed
My sister Carla (fabbo zenamoon candle website here, nifty blogs here and here) had a birthday yesterday, and today as we chatted, she mentioned it's not the milestone b-days that bug her, but the in-betweens that drag you inexorably toward the next milestone.

Carla's now 44. When our parents were 44, Carla was 22 and I was 19. Goodness.

Recently I was introduced to the fun of facebook.com. I've found a couple pals from college, but when I looked for Shadle Park High School alum, there are only a few. Friends, friends of friends, networks, and there's something oddly rewarding about throwing a chicken at someone, giving them a pot full of candy corn, or naming them most likely to steal a car. Random, yes, but very fun.

This last photo is of my aunt and uncle's dock, which I found wedged on a rock upriver this spring. After freeing it, I Tom Sawyer-ed it down-river. Apart from a little list to the starboard, it's a good dock.

Time to go gaze at a few (million) stars.

In case there was ever any doubt....

of where I get my beautiful silliness and fun outlook on life....

One need go no further than this photo of my mother, taken at the quilt retreat for Glacier Quilts

Love you mom!

nuff said. ;)

THIS is rich

So it's late afternoon, and I'm out for a constitutional, during which I usually wander the riverbank and skip stones. I'm no Amelie, but I aint bad.

So I'm looking for stones, skipping them, watching them, listening to the river... basically meditating in a fidgety way, as I do.

So I rear back to sidearm a nice one, and somehow my non-throwing arm swings across my body and... I hit myself.

Yep.

Years ago a girlfriend missed the lake and hit me straight in the knee while trying to skip a stone, but I've never hit myself with a thrown rock.

Thank goodness it was small, and it hit the fleshy part of my index finger. I knelt down, dipped my finger in the cold river, and pondered this little hiccup in my athletic career. Then I noticed some very small snail shells and a translucent egg sac on the end of a submerged stick.

Life is good in spite of myself, and there's no bruise yet.

Here's a photo of Jeff from the other night, ambling past some of the taken-down-but-not-yet-stored drip irrigation hose; this weekend I'm going to try to convince him and Mutt to eat the tansy and knapweed. Nutty kids....

As Bob mentioned, yesterday we took a little 'field trip' (pun intended) to one of the many places we have not explored yet in the area.

I think the fact that I grew up in this area and still haven't seen a fraction of what it has to offer makes my head spin sometimes!

Walking over the water/wind aged logs and looking across the lake reminded me of how, as a kid, I would pretend that it was the ocean and not a lake.

...even though I think I have a pretty good imagination...our trip yesterday reminded me that you don't have to stretch too far to think this beautiful body of water never ends...How wonderful to visit its shores again

.

Chilly Sunday

Seeds for breakfast

Probably shouldn't use up a title like that, considering it's not even October yet. Ah well, it was chilly. A good day of shelf installation, dreaming of a wood stove, and watching the sun hit the snow-capped mountains.

This afternoon we went to the Flathead Lake Waterfowl Production Area, which is next to Monique's parents' old farm, nestled in at the north end of the lake! Didn't see any waterfowl in production, which is good, but also didn't see any waterfowl, which was a bummer. A large eagle circled for a few minutes, and we had a good view of at least one hawk. Nice breeze, great light, the sound of water lapping on the shore and the driftwood, and otherwise sublimely quiet. We'll visit there again, for sure.

Fun Fact: Kalispell Montana has a population of about 20,000. But did you know they're all Costco members, and they were all at Costco last Saturday afternoon?

My favorite picture I've taken since we moved here. Flathead Lake