Gosh, it's been a while!

Yes, Spring is beginning to make itself felt around here in Montana so I have been very busy doing yard work and trying to get the flower beds in order. So by the time I am forced inside because of the loss of daylight I am just too exhausted to sit down at the computer. And for that I apologize. I do miss posting daily on my blog but please be patient with me and I will post pictures of my progress in the yard.

All of the Hosta plants that are in pots that came with us from Washington have been under wraps since they arrived here last October. I raised one of the covers and discovered that they don't care if it's not really Spring or that the fact they are receiving NO sunshine...they are going to start growing anyway. So I had to devise a way to allow them sunlight during the day but to keep them protected during the night. It is still getting down into the 20's here at night. So now each morning after the temperature has reach up into the 40's, I uncover them so the sun can help to get some green into their leaves and I cover them back up before the day starts to cool off. They have white sprouts about a inch and a half tall so they do need some sun!! There are about 20 Hosta's of different varieties that are all special to me so I must try to help them survive their first Spring in Montana.

And I have been going on a 1 to 2 hour hike each day before I start my yard chores so I can get myself back in shape. There are several "happenings" this summer that I plan to attend but I need to find my old self first!!! There is my class reunion coming up in August (no way I will go looking like this!!!) and 2 very special get-togethers back in Wenatchee we want to attend...one in June and one more in July plus the class thing. So I have several goals that I need to meet and between the daily hiking and the yard work I have already made good progress!!! I will try to post some pictures of the beautiful areas I have been hiking in. There is no shortage of wonderful hiking trails just across the road from our house!

Beautiful Visitors

This pair of Blue Jays have been coming by for a snack for the last week. They are fun to watch and are so colorful. A very nice change during this drab in between time of the seasons.
I realizes that the area that I thought was his eye is actually a white spot on each side of the head. If you look close you can see his eye just below the white spot. Apparently that is to confuse the enemy. And it's fun to be out on the deck when they show up. They will sit in the bush and squawk so load. I assume they are upset because we are so close by. And they also get very upset because the bird feeder is to small for them to perch on so they are at the mercy of the smaller birds that throw out unwanted seeds.

Why I miss the Pacific Northwest!

Subject: Pacific northwest truths!

These are SO TRUE!! The Pacific Northwest According To Jeff Foxworthy:

1. You know the state flower (Mildew).

2. You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.

3. Use the statement 'sun break' and know what it means.

4. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.

5. You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.

6. You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant.

7. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the 'Walk' Signal.

8. You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, is not a real mountain.

9. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle's Best, and Veneto's.

10. You know the difference between Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye Salmon.

11. You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon, Yakima, and Willamette.

12. You consider swimming an indoor sport.

13.You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food.

14. In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark-while only working eight-hour days.

15. You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.

16. You are not fazed by 'Today's forecast: showers followed by rain,' and 'Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers.'

17. You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.

18. You know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not just a state of mind.

19. You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see through the cloud cover.

20. You notice, 'The mountain is out' when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.

21. You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still wear your hiking boots and parka.

22. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks on.

23. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.

24. You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists.

25. You buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time.

26. You measure distance in hours.

27. You often switch from 'heat' to 'a/c' in the same day.

28. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.

29. You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer & Elk Season (Fall).

30. You actually understood these jokes and will probably forward them.

Yes, there is nothing in the world like the Pacific Northwest. And yes, I do miss it!!!

Hi I am back at last

We saw one of the new mail drop boxes the United States Postal Service is using to commemerate the issuing of a new stamp with the theme of Star Wars that starred Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader and this is of course R2D2. They are placing them throughout the United States and we were lucky to get one in Missoula. I loved the Star War movies and I thought this was kind of cute!

And this is the funny and clever R2D2 that helped Luke Skywalker and Princess Leala throughout the several Star War movies

We have had a few very busy and fun days! Lot's of birthday celebrations and birthday cake!! JW took me into Missoula so I could ger some crafting things that I have been wishing for so I can expand my craftings projects. We went early and stayed late...what a great day. We then met the daughter and her family in Hamilton for a great Chinese dinner! It was a long and wonderful birthday day.

My favorite question...WHAT DID YOU DO DURING SUMMER VACATION FROM SCHOOL?

Yes that's me and my oldest brother! My three brothers and sister and I belonged to the Wenatchee Youth Circus while we were in school. I traveled and preformed with the Circus for ten years. What an incredible life it was! There were about 100 of us kids and a lot of the parents came along as chaperone's. We usually left the first week after school was out and traveled all over the upper Western U.S. performing in many small towns during the summer. The performers setup the equipment then tore it down in the evening after each show then loaded up in the OLD red school bus and off we went to the next scheduled town.

My brother Dave and I are performing on what is called the Double Trapeze and hanging by our necks was one of the tricks we performed on the Double Trapeze.

This act was called the Roly Boly. Several of us did tricks while balancing and walking on these balls. I am walking a ball over a teeter toter and just beginning my descent. Also picture are Colleen, Kathe and Cynthia. Yes, that's me performing on The Low Wire using an umbrella for balance. Also pictured are Kathy, Barbara, Charlie and the MC is Russ.
This act is called the Swinging Ladders. Someone stood below keeping the ladder swinging as we performed various tricks. My right hand is through a loop attached to the ladder and we also hung by our feet through this strap.
This is another part of the Roly Boly act where we balanced on this small board while juggling, or as you can see, while holding a small child on my shoulders. Karen is assisting for safety and Margie is on my shoulders.

Besides the above acts, I also performed in the Juggling act, Spanish Web, and the Roman Ladders. I will post these pictures next time.

Yes, I do believe I had the most incredible childhood of anyone I know. We traveled to Oregon, Idaho, California, Montana, Canada, and even flew to Alaska to perform and of course all over the state of Washington where we all lived. We also performed in the Seattle Worlds Fair for several weeks and met many celebrities who came to watch us perform. All of this was made possible by our school counselor/principal who started it as a gym class and it just grew and grew! We had our 50th year Circus reunion in Wenatchee in 2003 and the turnout for it was fantastic. Oh, the memories. We were just like one huge family and it is still wonderful to get together and talk about "the good old days" because to us they truly were!!!

So, what did you do during YOUR summer vacation???

Be careful what you wish for

As you all know I have been trying to find some groups or clubs here in the valley I can get involved in to help me get acquainted with people in my community. Well, I have now learned what the expression "be careful what you wish for" means. I am now a member of a Gardening Club in Darby that has 44 members including me, and a Garden Club farther up the valley in Hamilton. I am also a founding member of a hiking group based in Stevensville...up the road a piece. There are 8 of us so far. We will be hiking into the mountains and lakes here in the Bitter Root. And at the Darby Garden club today I hooked up with a hiking group just down the road from me here in Darby. This is a group that is not quite as aggressive as the other hiking group. A little more laid back and casual a hike. And JW and I joined the Newcomers Club in Hamilton too. That's where we have found most of the new groups. So add my Red Hatters Group to this list and I am wondering when I will have time to garden and go camping with JW!!!! And miraculously none of these groups meet on the same day. Wow! So I am headed into a very exciting and BUSY spring and summer. If I don't get in shape this spring and summer I imagine I never will!!

So don't be surprised if my postings are done late into the night in the coming months. I will definitely have pictures to post after our hikes! And of course pictures of my new emerging garden here at home. Have a great weekend everyone!

A very fun surprise!

I know, my birthday isn't until next Monday, but a box arrived today and Happy Birthday was written on the outside. Well, you know how I am...I immediately opened it!!! And I was SOOOO excited when I saw what was inside. This is a salt and pepper shaker set but what is so wonderful about them is that they look so very much like what my family and I traveled and went camping in almost 50 years ago!!! Mom and Dad got to sleep in the cute little Teardrop trailer and my brothers and sister and I slept in a big tent. What a wonderful time we had on all those fun trips. This brings back so many wonderful memories of my childhood.

What is also so special about this gift is this is the very type of trailer JW and I are trying to find for us to go camping and traveling in this summer and for many summers to come! This beautiful gift came from my brother Dan and his wife Sarah. They are on a two year tour of the United States in their big beautiful motor home. So this made it even more of a surprise for us. We are looking forward to their trip through Montana so they can see our new home and spend some time here with us. Thank you Dear Brother Dan and Sister-In-Law Sarah...you are both wonderful.

We are having a day filled with sunshine but as it's spring, there is a lot of wind. But it feels so wonderful to have the sunshine coming in the windows this afternoon.

I have been busy working on my handmade beads. Some are ready to string into a necklace so I must find the correct type of cord I want to use to do that process. It's amazing how each bead colors react to the finish I am putting on them. Each seems to have a distinct color of it's own that really stands out. It does feel good to finally have a project for my Japanese paper I have had for so long! And of course, when I need more of this beautiful paper it's a heck of a good excuse to drive to Seattle to see the son and visit Pike's Place Market again!!

This is another view on our little country road that I took a picture of this morning on my walk. There are often deer or a flock of wild turkeys somewhere in these woods.

The winds blew through the Bitterroot Valley so strong Saturday night that I had to take down several of my wind chimes for fear that the gusts of wind would tear them apart. And one is a large one and there was no way we could have slept through that racket all night!

Our temperature was 65 degrees today....maybe it really is spring here in the Valley. The locals call this area of the valley "the banana belt" so maybe it will live up to it's name. I believe we have received just about a total of 8 inches the entire winter. And of course everyone around here is talking about forest fires in the coming summer months already. There were several temperature records set today through out the state of Montana. I heard one town's temperature was 75 degrees. So I guess they have reason to worry.

Cat on a hot tin roof!

It was so beautiful today that I actually did some yard work. I have discovered so many budding plants in the flower beds that I almost overworked my recovering hand a little to much. The temperate was in the mid 60's so I just couldn't help myself. I will try to do just a little each day and maybe my hand will build more strength. I must be careful as my hands must hold out till my garden work is complete!

The above photograph was taken while I was working in the east flower bed. It was a real surprise to look over at the neighbors house and there was our cat walking around on their roof!! She loves to climb anywhere so I knew she would eventually come down on her own...which she did, so I had time to retrieve my camera and snap this picture. Of course I had to email one to the neighbors too!

A short history lesson

I took a picture of the sign that's tells about Trapper Peak that is just up the road from us. But I don't think the print on the sign can be read very well so I will retype just what both signs say. I find it very interesting...I hope you do too..

"At 10,157 feet in elevation, magnificent Trapper Peak rises higher than any other peak in the 200 mile-long Bitterroot Range that extends along the Idaho-Montana border from the Snake River Valley in Idaho to the Clark Fork River in Montana. The Range includes howling wilderness, yawning canyons, and towering mountains covered with a heavy growth of pine and fir. Huge sheets of ice craved the granite mountain and left glacial landforms known as horns, cirques, moraines, and aretes. These give the massive mountain its jagged form and distinctive profile."

" Trapper Peak has witnessed human activity in the Bitterroot Valley for at least 8,000 years. Early Valley occupants were prehistoric hunter and gatherers. The Bitterroot Salish-Native Americans thrived in the Valley until 1891, when they were moved to the Flathead Indian Reservation. In 1805, members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition passed here followed by traders, trappers, and missionaries. In an attempt to flee from the US Army in 1877, the non-treaty Nez Perce Native Americans passed peacefully through the Valley on their way east. Mining, agriculture, and logging brought settlers and in 1876 the mountain was named by Granville Lee Shook, a surveyor for the Anaconda Mining Company, for its trapping success. Trapper Peak's timeless and sturdy form represents history, from the historic travelers of the past, to the modern day travelers of tomorrow."

So, there is you history lesson for today! I attended a valley Newcomers Club function yesterday and I was so excited to find not only this fun group but a walking club, a hiking club, 2 awesome garden clubs, a book club, and even a sewing club. What a great day. So many nice people. This is going to be fun!!!

I also attended my second meeting of the Red Hat Society. It was a much better meeting than the first so I will stick this one out for awhile and see what comes of it.

Guess who came to dinner?

I looked out the sliding glass doors yesterday to see if any pretty birds were on the feeder or under it. Boy, was I surprised!! There were nine of these not very pretty birds eating food that had been thrown from the feeder by the much smaller (and prettier) birds! This local group of turkeys took their time wandering around the yard looking for things to eat, then wandered on down the road.
I know the turkeys are not something beautiful to look at but I must say they do have some very pretty feathers...not much meat but lot's of pretty feathers.
Do you need a bale of hay? Most of the hay you see here in Montana is in this rolled form of bales. Some farmers with small herds place one of these bales into a circular steel holder made just to fit a bale and let the cattle free feed out of them. I have seen many horse pastures with the same style of feeders in them too.

Bigger ranchers with large herds of cattle have a piece of equipment that picks up the bale by sticking a pipe or rod through the center of the bale and when they take it out into the field the machine unrolls it and and it's long enough that all the cattle can eat their fill. Quite an amazing sight to see.

Another crafting project

These are a few of the beads I have been practicing making.
It has been a lot of fun and I believe I will attempt to make a few more varieties.
There is several street fairs here in Darby and also up in Hamilton this summer and I would like to see if I could make and sell some necklaces.
This has been a fun project and it certainly helped to pass the cold winter months here in Montana. I am sure winter is not over yet but our expected high today is in the 60's. The clerk at the Conner store told me today that I should start my tomato plants now. WOW!! Spring stuff!

It feels like Spring.

ARE YOU REALLY SUPPOSE TO BE ON THE TABLE?? (I don't think so!!!) But she does think she is the boss around her and who knows what else she does when we aren't looking! I only took a moment this afternoon to sit out on the deck with the cat and enjoyed a bit of sunshine. She has always joined me in the garden or in the yard helping me to do my gardening. I know she is just as anxious as I am for Spring to arrive so 'mom' will be outside with her more often.

I didn't get out and about today to get any new pictures so I thought I would post this photo from when we had snow. Our temperature today was 58 degrees...fabulous. I have been busy finishing up a batch of beads that I have handmade and I needed to put one more coat of finish on them. If they dry well by tomorrow I will try my best to get a photo of them. It's a project I have wanted to try for a very long time and so far I am pleased with the results.

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance --Particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.



In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5 and then installed undesirable programs such as NFL 5.0, NBA 3.0, and Golf Clubs 4.1.



Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. I've tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.



What can I do? Signed,Desperate wife



-Dear Desperate wife:



First keep in mind; Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an Operating System.



Please enter the command: "http: I Thought You Loved Me.HTML" and try to download Tears 6.2 and don't forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update.



If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.



But remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1.



Beer 6.1 is a very bad program that will download the Snoring Loudly Beta.



Whatever you do, DO NOT install Mother-in-law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources).



Also, do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0 program. These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.



In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend Food 3.0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7.



Good Luck,Tech Support

Views from our house.

When I stepped out onto the back deck to refill the bird feeder, this bush caught my eye. Such a pretty color of red during this dull color of winter time.

I was washing the lunch dishes when I looked out onto the hill across the road and there were 15 or more wild turkeys working their way up the hill looking for things to eat. They keep themselves fairly busy up and down our road on the never ending quest for food.

Our weather is wonderful during the days...in the 40's, but our night sky has been cloud free so we are cooling way down in the night. It feels good to finally be into the month of March. I love spring days when all the birds are singing and new babies are born...even the deer babies are oh so cute! I always was a sucker for Bambi. So I hope spring isn't to far away here in Montana.

To Be 6 Again...

A man was sitting on the edge of the bed, observing his wife, looking at herself in the mirror.



Since her birthday was not far off he asked what she'd like to have for her Birthday."I'd like to be six again", she replied, still looking in the mirror.



On the morning of her Birthday, he arose early, made her a nice big bowl of Lucky Charms, and then took her to Six Flags theme park. What a day! He put her on every ride in the park; the Death Slide, the Wall of Fear, the Screaming Monster Roller Coaster, everything there was.



Five hours later they staggered out of the theme park. Her head was reeling and her stomach felt upside down.



He then took her to a McDonald's where he ordered her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a chocolate shake.



Then it was off to a movie, popcorn, a soda pop, and her favorite candy, M&M's. What a fabulous adventure!



Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed exhausted. He leaned over his wife with a big smile and lovingly asked, "Well Dear, what was it like being six again??"



Her eyes slowly opened and her expression suddenly changed. "I meant my dress size, you dumb ass!"



The moral of the story: Even when a man is listening, he is gonna get it wrong.

JW'S TOUGH COMMUTE TO WORK

This is the scene of JW's return commute to work during the lunchtime rush hour traffic. Yeah, it's tough even here in Montana! His shop is in the white double doors in the blue building. Gosh, that's such a long walk. You may have to have yourself a cup of tea when you finally get back to work!!

If you click on this photo you may be able to see JW waving at me as he is approaching his machine shop. I was standing at the end of our driveway when I took this photo today. Have a safe trip Dear!