Check the temperature on the deck!!

What a wonderful weekend!!! My oldest brother and his wife came from the Seattle area of Washington state to spend some time with us. They are our first overnight guests in our new home and we had so much fun! The weather was so incredible everyday that we were able to eat most of our meals out on the deck. Awesome. And we actually were able to have our first Bar-B-Que of the year on Sunday as the temperature was in the 80's. Hmmm...I wonder what the summer will be like?

The Chaise Lounge is out and my fabulously comfortable hammock is set up so I am totally ready for this beautiful weather. Bring it on!!!!

I spent most of the afternoon and into the early evening yesterday removing the winter protection from my potted Hostas. I can't believe how well they are growing in this new climate. But I realize that we can have another hard freeze clear up to Memorial Day. So I will keep draping the Hostas with a blanket for protection in the evenings and of course the deer netting is something both the Hostas and I will have to learn to live with.

And I am looking forward to seeing what Hostas is planted in each pot. Oh, you know, of course you figure you can certainly remember which pot holds all your favorite Hostas, Right? OF COURSE NOT!!!!!! I actually can not even remember which pot holds my very favorite plant..I call it the Wedding Hosta...my brother gave us a fabulous Hosta that grows taller than it does wide (almost 3 feet high) and it's my favorite. And it seems that all the plants we brought with us from Washington state have survived nicely....several dozen actually.

Our temperature is suppose to reach the high 70's today and even into the 80's for tomorrow so I will spend as much time as I can working in the yard, We had a very heavy rain the other day so everything is either leafing out, budding, or both. So maybe soon we will know just what kind of shrubs, trees and plants we have around this place!

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

I spent the afternoon re potting some of the plants that we dug up in Washington and brought home to Montana about a week ago. After we dug them up we just placed each plant into a large black plastic bag and they have all done wonderful while they were waiting for me to get them into pots. I decided not to plant most of the Hostas in the ground this spring because the ground can still freeze and since none of them are acclimated to this type of weather I felt it was wiser to put them in pots then place them on the deck where it can be as much as 10 degrees warmer during the Spring nights. And so far they have all thrived in their new environment. And of course deer netting will be a requirement around here from now on. But the beauty of these Hostas will definitely be worth the extra care that is needed in deer country!

The pot on the left is holding Lilies that I dug up and all of them seem to be recovering very well. And of course I have no idea what colors will be coming up in what pots or which pot may contain my prized Tiger Lilies.

I have planted my Betty Boop Rose in the ground by the front porch as well as my Torch Plant...sometimes called the Flaming Porker Plant. I have been placing burlap bags around them in the evenings hoping this will enable them to set their roots easier.

So I should be able to complete all of my potting projects by tomorrow afternoon. I sure enjoyed the downpour of rain and the wonderful thunder that lasted several hours late this afternoon. The rain pounding on the deck roof was deafening but I loved every minute of it! The lawn looks so beautifully green after being mowed yesterday then all that rain today.

This was the scene in the southwest sky late yesterday afternoon. The sun filtering through the clouds looked so pretty to me. Despite the dark clouds the weather was rather pleasant most of the day.

Today our temperature climbed into the 70's but we are still experiencing night time temperatures in the 20's. So each evening before the sun is down, I return to the deck and pull the covering over all of my plants that are in large pots. Then each morning, after the temperature has climbed above 40, I return to the deck and pull the cover back off the plants so they too can enjoy the warm temperatures. I must say, they are doing incredibly well through all of this. They are all putting on a lot of beautiful growth so I am trying to keep an eye on them so Jack Frost doesn't get to them!

I mowed the lawn again today...I am trying to get up all the dead grass leftover from the fall and winter. I think there is already a great improvement in how it looks. I do enjoy mowing the lawn.....it is a riding lawn mower...I wear my headphones and listen to my favorite music as I mow! How hard can that be????

Great lunch out with the Car Club

Our Classic Car Club held their monthly meeting and luncheon at the West Fork Lodge this last Sunday. The Lodge is just up the road about 5 miles from our house so it was a very easy trip for us.

This was our first visit to this Lodge and it appears to be in the middle of some remodeling but the food was very good but the service wasn't. I hope they improve as the season progresses.

There is a bar and a casino in the Lodge too and it's all very rustic Montana. They also have a air strip (just dirt) just outside the back door and it seems to be fairly busy with the local small airplane owners. There are several places here in the valley where there is a home owners personal airstrip in the field just in front of their home and a airplane hanger next to the garage. That must be a great life!!

This is a place I would return to even just to see if the customer service improves because the food was pretty good.

Oh, Oohhhh..better call Homeland Security!

For those of you that stop by my blog often will remember this photo I had posted on April 10th showing a gate with nothing to chain it to that was solid and upright. Well, today I took another photo of the same place as I had on April 10th but saw quite a different picture!

Yes, this site made me laugh! This is the exact site where the gate with the hanging posts were but as you can see, Homeland Security is lacking a bit as someone has stolen the entire gate!!! There is nothing left except one lonely fence post. A good reason to keep your house doors and vehicles lock up around here!

Our latest trip into Washington

This is the scene that greeted us as we entered the Wenatchee area earlier this week. I can remember when we didn't even need a traffic light at this intersection! Now look at the amount of traffic. This quiet little town has certainly grown over that last several years. It's good to live in quiet little Darby, Montana!!

We made our final run to Washington this week to retrieve our 2 lawn mowers and the rest of my gardening supplies and some more plants...Tiger Lilies and several Hosta plants. It takes a entire day to get there, a day to get everything loaded for the return trip then another full day for the trip back home. Yes, I am very tired.

But today I had to pot the plants we brought back with us. We had dug each one up then placed them in large plastic bags for the journey. So today I knew I had to get them in pots and under cover because when we returned to the Bitter Root valley there was snow on the mountains around us so I knew the nights were going to be cold. As I was repotting today I experienced sunshine, snow, hail and even some rain! But I continued my tasks thinking of the cold night to come. So I have just 5 Hosta's to get into pots tomorrow and hopefully they will all be comfortable until spring is really here to stay! And it sure feels good to have all of my garden equipment here at last.
This is the sight that greeted us as we entered the Wenatchee valley this week. Pear trees, cherry trees, and many more were in full blossom....many weeks ahead of schedule this year. But many orchards looked like a large soft carpet laying on the ground. Beautiful sight, something we won't see in our new valley in Montana.

Chuckle for the day

Little ones were asked to write about what they knew about the sea.....

1) Some fish are dangerous. Jellyfish can sting. Electric eels can give you a shock. They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they have to plug themselves into chargers.

2) I’m not going to write about the sea. My baby brother is always screaming and being sick, my Dad keeps shouting at my Mom, and my big sister has just got pregnant, so I can’t think what to write.

3) I like mermaids. They are beautiful, and I like their shiny tails. And how on earth do mermaids get pregnant? Like, really?

4) A dolphin breaths through an asshole on the top of its head.

5) This is a picture of an octopus. It has eight testicles.

6) Oysters’ balls are called pearls.

7) If you are surrounded by sea you are an Island . If you don’t have sea all round you, you are incontinent

I found this post while visiting Helen's blog. Thanks Helen.

YOU HAVE GOT TO SEE THIS!!!!

go to Google.com.

click on Maps

click on Get Directions

Type in the From - New York, New York

Type in the To - Paris, France

Hit enter

scroll down to and read # 23......and enjoy the trip!!!!

We had to drive into Stevensville today to apply for our Montana drivers licenses. Unfortunately this is our second trip there. We drove up there the first of the week only to find out we needed a passport, or a birth certificate, and a piece of mail with our names and address with a post mark from Montana to prove we are now living here. Of course we had none of this with us, so today we made the return trip to Stevensville. We both filled out the forms to get our new Montana drivers license and as JW gave her his Washington license to prove he did indeed have a license, she politely told him that she was sorry but she couldn't take it because it had expired on his birthday in February. As you can guess, this was a big surprise to us! She said he needed to take the written and the driving test to get his Montana license. (Oh no!!). Or if we were able it would be cheaper and easier to return to Washington to get that one renewed then return and he could get his new license without taking all the tests!

Montana's drivers licenses are valid for 8 years! You know in 7 1/2 years I can look at my license and know I haven't changed a bit!!! YAHOO!!!!

Well, as luck would finally have it, we are traveling to Washington on Monday to retrieve our lawn movers, motorcycles and a few other things we had left behind. So he will renew it there then return to Stevensville next week...again!!! I, of course, was given my new license without any trouble!! The worst part of this whole thing is we didn't realize that you must have a Montana drivers license for 60 days before you can apply for a fishing license here!!! JW will apply for an out of state license at a much higher cost. A lesson well learned much to late!!!

The above picture was the scene that greeted us as we drove closer to our home. What a beautiful sight to see every time we return home. I never tire of seeing these mountains because every time of day, every different shadow makes it always look so different and more beautiful than the view before.

These cute little new born lambs are a definite sign that spring is here. There were probably 50 new babies in this large field as we passed by on our homeward bound trip today. They just make me smile as I watched them run and play together. Oh, wonderful Spring!!

Thoughts for today

As I've Matured...

I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is stalk them and hope they panic and give in...

I've learned that one good turn gets most of the blankets.

I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people are just jackasses.

I've learned that it takes years to build up trust, and it only takes suspicion, not proof, to destroy it.

I've learned that whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.

I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to others -they are more screwed up than you think.

I've learned that depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

I've learned that it is not what you wear; it is how you take it off.

I've learned to not sweat the petty things, and not pet the sweaty things.

I've learned that ex's are like fungus, and keep coming back.

I've learned age is a very high price to pay for maturity.

I've learned that I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy it.

I've learned that we are responsible for what we do, unless we are celebrities.

I've learned that artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

I've learned that 99% of the time when something isn't working in your house, one of your kids did it.

I've learned that there is a fine line between genius and insanity.

I've learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon and all the less important ones just never go away. And the real pains in the ass are permanent.

So keep on learning no matter what comes your way!!!!

Home Land Security?

No, I couldn't pass up this picture opportunity on my afternoon walk yesterday. Apparently the posts have been there so long that they just simply rotted off at ground level.

It was so cold today that I didn't feel up to going on our club walk. I just feel like the cold air has settled in my bones so I stayed home all day and kept warm under a blanket in front of the TV. I must admit, this is my very first unproductive day I have had since we arrived here last October. I think I am just tired.

JW is attending another one of his fly fishing classes tonight. They are planned to be outside to do casting but he suspected that they may use the high school gym instead. (At least, he hoped they would!).

Spring is coming

Another fun walk with the Walking Club. We have been so lucky to have had such beautiful weather for our walks. It makes for a very enjoyable time.
This is one of the many Hosta plants that we brought with us from Washington State when we moved last October. I am so very glad to see that the majority of the potted plants have seemed to have survived the winter and are starting to sprout already. I have them all group together on the back deck up against the side of the house so they can obtain some of the warmth from the house. And I have constructed a frame over them that has deer netting over it and I use shipping blankets over that at night to help keep out the cold. It's quite the chore to uncover them each morning ...waiting till after the temperature has reached at least 40 degrees then to remember to replace the cover before the temperature drop's back below 40 in the evenings. The lady at a local nursery has told me that it is difficult for potted plants to survive the early springs here because the temperatures can still dip down into the low 20's. But it has appeared to have paid off as at least 20 pots have sprouted Hosta's so for with just about 6 left to start sprouting. And of course the pots range from gallon size to ones that must be moved with a handtruck. Our nights have been getting down into the 20's and the days up into the 70's. So this spring will be interesting to see what plants are potted in each pot...cause I have forgotten! Oops!

This week's Walks and Hikes

This is the view we were blessed with on our Darby Walking Club walk on Tuesday morning. Beautiful weather considering it had snowed a bit the day before.
Our walking group spends an hour or two twice a week walking forest service roads, old logging roads, etc. in the West Fork area of the Bitter Rood valley. And each day we have had great weather, great views and lot's of wildlife to see. A very enjoyable group!
This is the type of terrain my new Hiking Group found today on our first hike of the year. The trail follows the Bear Creek with spectacular views of the mountains.
We stopped here and ate our snacks and just sat around visiting before we headed back down to the trail head. The hike lasted just over 2 hours and good weather was with us on this hike too.

I can't believe how many active, wonderful people I have already found in the beautiful valley! My walking club, which has about 8 members, goes out into the woods twice a week and my hiking club, which so far has about 12 people, plans two hikes a month. And with the activities of the walking club, and the great hikes to come with the hiking club, and then add in the daily speed walks I try to get in everyday, I have managed to loose 6 pounds in the month of March. What a fun way to loose weight and get in shape. I love this place!!!

Our Sunday drive

JW and I went on a wonderful drive yesterday afternoon while the weather was gorgeous. We drove up the West Fork road of the Bitter Root River. This is the Painted Rock State Park. The lake is formed by a reservoir that the Bitter Root River flows through. The ice is melting away from the edges of the "lake" and a one time apparently thick enough to hold snowmobiles as we can see what is left of their tracks out into the center of the ice. We could also see animals tracks crossing the area and a few spots that look as though a animal of some kind must have fallen through the ice as the weather warmed.

As we drove on past the lake we realized that we were just a few miles from the Idaho border. About that time it began to snow. The sun was still trying to shine but we figured we had better not take any chances traveling any further since we did not pack any extra supplies or warmer clothing. We definitely don't want to get stuck way out here in the middle of nowhere!
This is a very low hanging rock formation that we passed under on our way back home. It actually looks like a logging truck would strike this overhang as it passed by!!! The yellow/green color on the rocks are the reason this area is called Painted Rocks State Park. There are also rocks that look like someone has thrown orange paint on them. Beautiful when the sun shines on them. If we get up there again at the right time of day I will post a photograph of these colorful rocks.