January Silence

After a lovely holiday and a fabulous time making memories with Rachel and Paul, our life has shifted back to the flow of normal life.  Weather on the mountain can be quite different than down in the valley by Gardiner.  The town has had warmer weather, where the roads are often clear and downright muddy.  They get rain; we get snow.  Our basic snow pack of 2+ feet has never left, and this morning we woke up to 4-5 new inches of fluff.  Prior to the new addition, we had a weekend of intense blowing snow.  The valley we live in (called the Cinnabar Basin) funnels the wind coming down the mountains and makes quite a stew of swirling snow.  "Ground blizzard" is what it's called when it's in crazy mode.  The winds comes from all directions, and sheets of snow life up from the ground and take off.

This morning the wind was gone, and everything was still.  We are literally living in the clouds; what looks like fog are cloud formations clinging to the ground.  All the mountains surrounding us are invisible:

Although the roads were plowed and cleared on Saturday, by now they have disappeared again, and the ranch manager was out starting to open a trail so everyone can get out and on to the work of opening the roads once again.  This is a daily chore that takes up a good part of the day....

It's a different world up here.  Good for someone who likes solitude and their own space. 

It's beautiful........

December/Holiday Tidbits....

We're waiting for Christmas with great anticipation, and wish that everyone we know and love has a wonderful holiday!  It's snowing again, but the total accumulation is only about 2 feet now....there were a couple of days temps were above freezing and the snow levels sunk down a bit.  Locals say this is the snowiest November they have seen in years.  We've heard that a herd of 5000-6000 bison are migrating from Yellowstone to the Gardiner area.  I'm excited about seeing hordes of buffalo wandering around town.  We already see deer and elk browsing in the yards.

Here's a photo of Dan clearing off the deck from an earlier snowfall..... yes, we do grill year-round...

And here's an introduction to our new family member!  Pepper is an 8 month old giant schnauzer/border collie mix who's been an absolute gem.  Dan and I both miss Tucker a lot, but he's living a well pampered life in Michigan with his prior doggy daycare sitter.  He's much safer there- at only 8 lbs, there were too many ways to get eaten or killed in Montana.

Pepper came to us named Susie, but I couldn't get used to calling her that- it seemed strange calling her the name of a childhood friend.  We thought the name Pepper fit her well, and so far, she seems to agree.  Pepper is about 40 lbs, and one of the most mellow, calm dogs I've ever met.  We are all bonding well and she's a great fit for us. My deepest thanks to her previous owner for giving us the opportunity to add her to our family.

Dan thinks she looks a bit like a raccoon with her gray face.  I got her a pink snazzy collar along with the other doggy things we needed.  She's a winner!

We're excited about Rachel and Paul coming to visit for the holiday- keep your fingers crossed they get out of the London airport tomorrow!  Right now it's closed, but they are planning a full re-opening tomorrow.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

You Can Have THIS, or You Can Have THAT

 

The popular commercial featuring hamsters driving a ‘cool’ car to rap music brings to mind the difference in our lives Out West versus our past lives in the the Columbus, Ohio area.  There’re a lot of differences- neither one good nor bad, but very different.  Figuring the current THIS is Montana and THAT was 25 years living in Columbus, here’s a comparison:

THIS:  People never lock their doors, and many even leave their keys in the car at home.

THAT: Our homes had security systems and were always locked; one would never leave their car unlocked, much less leave the keys there.

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THIS: There’s lots of snow.

THAT: Little snow, lots of ice and drizzle.

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THIS: Few neighbors and wide open spaces.

THAT: No matter how hard you try to get away, you’ll still hear the hum of cars on a road or highway.

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THIS: ‘Fast food’ is a 15 mile drive to get a burger in a bar.

THAT:  Fast food has many options, including Chipotle (sigh…)

  

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THIS:  Fancy food is either: a 15 mile drive to get a burger in a bar, or a 65 mile drive to a restaurant (sigh…)

THAT: Your choice of restaurants, style of cuisine, etc. etc.

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THIS: Fly fishing can lead to some hum-dingers of trout….

THAT: Fly fishing in the O’Shaunessy reservoir might lead to a couple of carp.

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THIS: Wolves can kill and eat an elk 300 yards from your home.

THAT: Your neighbor’s teens could have a wild party 300 yards from your home.

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THIS: A traffic jam in Gardiner happens because of deer, elk and bison wandering the streets.

THAT: A Traffic jam in Columbus is caused by cars, not animals....

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THIS: Drive to work is ½ mile; drive views include snow and lots of elk…

THAT: Drive to work was all over town; drive views included homes, asphalt and traffic lights.

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THIS: Fashion and fun is designer cowgirl boots and a rodeo.

THAT: Fashion and fun was a buckeye necklace and an OSU football game.

Cold, Silent, Beautiful

My thanks to Don for these photos-

In the summer, this is a deck.

And this birdhouse defies gravity!  I'm sure the birds are much happier in the climate of the South......

Snow Measuring Tool

Compare this photo of Dan's grill to the earlier post..... yes, we have more snow!

It's a good tool measurement of the growing amount of fluffy flakes.... at least until tonight.  The ranch managers graciously gave us two hind quarters of venison, and Dan is butchering the meat and freezing the packaged amounts.  Tonight we have venison on the grilll!

Snow Daze

Winter is upon us... we got a good 14" of snow on Sunday, with  a bit more accumulation each day since.  More snow on the way tonight as well.

Here's the views from our back porch, as well as Dan shovelling snow from the front sidewalk:

Yesterday, Dan, Don (the man that works with Dan) and I went to Gardiner over lunch to get chains for our tires (yep, we found out we need them). 


On the way back up the mountain, we ran into a good herd of mountain sheep that had moved down into the valley with the bad weather.  We drove right through them, and they merely looked at us!




Fortunately, Don had his camera with him, and took these great shots:

Now, if only could see some reindeer..... :)

Today we woke to to a good additional 12" and the skies are white again with snow.  PLUS they are talking about another 1-2 feet of snow this weekend.

Since I'm not the one doing all the plowing, I say 'bring it on!'  I've got internet, TV, and a stack of books to read.  I'm in hermit mode.

Happy early winter preview to you and yours!

Happy Kids

'Nuff about me and Dan.  It's time for bragging a bit.

We've got 2 great daughters who are happy with 2 great guys, and they're are tackling Life with grace and enthusiasm.  What more can a parent ask for?  We birth 'em, feed and care for them, listen to their hopes and dreams, wipe their tears, push them when they need it and hold them back when they're ready to fall, scold 'em and love them.... and pray they get launched in life sound and whole, and prepared to find their way.

Rachel and Erika have long ago flown the coop and are flying well.  We couldn't be happier, and proud of their choices and direction.  You go, girls!

I've stolen a couple of pics from their web sites.... I just got to show them off.

Here's Erika involved in her work for the Soil Association in Scotland.  Doesn't she look like she'd fit right in Montana country?

Erika even camped out for an outdoor work event this last year.  Husband Ben came along and shared the cozy tent...

Rachel and Paul are enjoying themselves in-between University classes in Norfolk, England.  A walk at the beach and lessons on making sushi take away the stress of exams and papers due....

Cheers to them... and you!