Staining the Gazebo

It has to be done, but neither Bruce nor I wanted to do it. The entire gazebo has to be stained, inside and out, TWICE!!! bleah.

It was cooler today, probably because of the morning rain storm, so, we thought we'd better take advantage of the weather, and get to work.

It's fairly tedious... and Bruce and I kept mentioning how much MORE fun this would be, if the kids were home, and we were ALL doing it together! *hopeful smile*  but then, we realized we really wanted the entire patio to be finished by the time they arrived   :(    (However, I had the BRILLIANT idea, that we could leave the INSIDE for that fun, family bonding time :)

I have to tell you (and I think Bruce would HAVE to corroborate) that he is BY FAR the grumpier of the two of us when it comes to painting. 

Despite that, Bruce IS the one who puts a bit of fun into everything he does. :)

Hobbes and Itty supervised...

Selkie and Piper were smart enough to stay close, but out of the way. I think they worried THEY would be put to work.  We're not done, but we've accomplished a lot today! (and don't pay any attention to Bruce. It really WASN'T all that bad!  :)

Neverending Story Morning

I woke this morning to the sound of thunder echoing in our mountain valley. The sound built, and rumbled before culminating in a crescendoing CRASH!  Lightening pierced the sky.

 Soon, you hear a splat... then, another splat... then, faster, louder, and more raindrops fall peppering the sidewalks until the cloud bursts.

 My niece, Emily, calls it a Neverending Story type of day.  I couldn't agree more. (open the photos!)

Soon, these storms never really last very long, there's a break in the sky... the thunder becomes more distant, the raindrops slow in intensity, and the show is over.  I'm grateful to live in such a beautiful theatre. :)

The Babies are growing up!

We have had a BUNCH of Eastern Kingbirds this year, and they are quickly becoming one of my favorite birds.  For one thing, they can hover! which makes them fascinating to watch. For another thing, they are so "plucky"!  I've watched one or two take on huge ravens, driving them away from their nests.

Well, the babies have hatched, grown, and are now practicing flying- and they are adorable. 

I hope they come back next year. Good life, Little Ones!

Butterfly Garden

Bruce and I love wildlife- but we don't limit ourselves to the big game species. We enjoy birds, butterflies, etc. and try to landscape our home with animals in mind- bushes that flower for the butterflies, and then, produce berries for the birds, for example. Which is why we planted the Butterfly Garden in the first place.

and it's been a HUGE success.  Not only is it showy, and beautiful, but it's always teeming with Bumblebees, Butterflies, and Hummingbirds. A living, changing work of art.

Today, we found ANOTHER grateful customer. This adorable little toad- living in the Butterfly Garden, safe, moist, and pleased as punch.  :)

We're branching out! 

Coyote

I can always tell when there's SOMETHING out there.  It could be an elk, a fawn, a truck driving down our long driveway, but in this case.... it was a coyote.  First, Wynter's head goes up... soon followed by Journey's- ears pricked forward, tense concentration. Finally, Dakota will lift her head and start walking toward whatever is catching everyone's attention. Wynter, and Journey follow close on her heels.

This time it was just a little guy (or gal) trying it's luck in our field of (what I call) prairie dogs (and are more accurately labeled  Colombian Ground Squirrels).  We have TONS of these little creatures- which are extremely cute, and extremely detrimental to the mares because of the holes they dig EVERYWHERE.

Anyway... this coyote was looking for lunch.

The mares quickly dismissed it as being "just another dog" and went back to grazing.

Because it wasn't having any luck catching a meal, and probably because it noticed this woman, with an odd black contraption held up to her face, stalking, stealthily closer and closer, the coyote trotted off.  As long as he doesn't eat my chickens, bunnies or my cats, he's welcome in our little haven.

Cleo

Look who else enjoys the gazebo!  :)
(I think SHE thinks we built it just for her!)

Friends across time

There is a corner of the large pasture that seems to upset both Wynter and Journey.  Wyn always prances around that corner, snorts, ears back, head up... Journey, calm, steady, Journey shied the first time I rode there, and bolted the second. I never see anything there, I never hear anything.  (and, to be fair, Bruce and I have seen both Wynter and Journey grazing in that corner from time to time... so whatever is there, isn't ALWAYS there).

BUT today.... I saw Dakota, actually highstep over TO the corner... tail high, neck arched. She reached the fence, and stretched her neck over as if reaching out to something or someone.  Sometimes she'd shake her head up and down, sometimes she just stood there, companionably, totally at ease.  It suddenly struck me (and many of you will laugh at this- not believe this- whatever. Go ahead. That's fine with me).  That corner is the closest you can get to where we left Koosa when she died.  Koosa... Dakota's best friend, and the horse that neither Wynter, or Journey had ever met.

It's true that I would very much like to think that Koosa's spirit is running around the far meadow, feeling frisky and free, and that occasionally, she stops to chat with her old best friend. It's as good an explanation as any other we have.

Boating- just the two of us

It was brutally hot (our thermometer read 106! but that WAS with the sun shining on it). And, as Bruce and I tend to agree that the ONLY place to weather heat like that is on the water, we packed up all our boating gear, and put the Glastron in the river. 

In the days when our kids were living at home, we would spend ALL day on the boat, and STILL not get enough.  I would bake healthy treats for snacks, and raid the garden for pea pods, kohlrabi, etc. Bruce would run to the store and buy grapes, and plums, and nectarines as well as some pop, and wine coolers. We would ski, tube, knee board, wake board and swim- everyone taking turns. Summers were full of sun screen, sand, swimsuits and towels hung outside to dry, laughter and love. So, you can imagine the difference yesterday...

Bruce dove in the water to cool off... that's par for the course... and then, we went on a short boat ride. I told Bruce I'd pull him skiing, and he jumped at the chance. (No photos, cus I was the only one in the boat, and I had to watch where I was going, while watching how he was doing... I couldn't figure out how to fit picture taking into the mix).

He had a great pull, but even so, it didn't last very long. 

One more short swim, and then, we sort of sat in the boat... looking at each other... wondering what else to do.  We reminisced about times past- and how different this entire Summer was, without any children living at home.  And then, we drove home.  It's an adjustment, I guess.  At least we have all three kids coming home in 2 wks! and things will be back to normal for a short time.  And that short time will just have to last us for another year.

Muley Doe

In the pasture, right with the mares, lives a Mule deer doe.

She doesn't seem to have a fawn, and she's WAY too tame.  She lets me get within 100 ft. of her, before she slowly ambles off.

She shares the mare's salt block, and their water trough, and cleans up any hay they don't eat.  I love her... and so, I worry about her.  What should I name her?  :)  Any suggestions?  She's been here throughout the Spring and Summer. 

The mares don't mind her presence at all. I think they think she's the 4th mare in their herd. 

weathering the storm

We could see the storm clouds building after a particularly hot day, so I got things ready.  I put candles and a lantern in the new gazebo (playhouse :).  Bruce opened a bottle of wine, and I got a plate of cheese.  We sat, safe and sound and dry, in our gazebo, soft candlelight, sipping wine, nibbling cheese, while the storm broke, then raged around us.  Lightening flashed, thunder boomed, the rain came down in torrents.

The storm passed quickly, as Montana summer storms do.  We can hardly wait for it to rain again so we can, once more, experience the mixture of excitement and contentment.

Gramma is still here

Long after all the other elk have headed back into the mountains.... Gramma is still here- feasting on the clover in our yard. She looks pretty good, huh?

the gazebo

Because the bees and flies are SO bad during July and August in Montana, Bruce and I decided we needed to have a screened in porch added to the house.  HOWEVER, once we contacted the contractor, and he told us everything involved (taking off part of the roof, etc) we decided that wasn't a prudent way to go. Luckily for us, we have the best contractor in the world... :)  and he gave us a GREAT idea!  Just build a screened in gazebo! 

Cade drew up my plans on his computer so I could visualize it.  We bought the materials, called the contractor, and TODAY they started building! YAY!

They arrived around 8:30 this morning, and were still at work at 6:30 pm.  They didn't finish- they still have some of the shingles to put on the roof, and the stone wall to build, and the arbor to construct- BUT they got it far enough along so we can use it, until they can get back here to work. 

TA DA!!!

We were so excited, we had our very first dinner in our new gazebo! (Ok... not MUCH of a dinner, but HEY! we had a hard day! We were exhausted!)

We even brought India out, and he was VERY appreciative. He can't get out of the gazebo, but he THINKS he's outside!

It fits our table and chairs easily... with PLENTY of excess room. It's a bit like being in a playhouse.  An adult playhouse :)  We can eat dinners out there... sit outside when it's raining... read a book, play a game, even sleep on a cot! We're SO excited about this! 

I hope it's completely finished before the kids come home to visit.

Evening Canoe Ride

Our family left this morning, and so Bruce thought an evening canoe ride would perk me up. (I am missing my sister, Sherry, my niece, Natalie, my chore helper, LJ, and my little "eat-eat" girl, Lani. :(

We put the canoe in at Vermillion Bay- the air was warm, the water smooth as glass. There was a family fishing off the shoreline with a little girl who'd just caught a HUGE Whitefish, and was so excited, she was telling everyone (in other words, Bruce and me) how great a fisherwoman she was. :)

The day HAD been hot... as evidence this immature Bald eagle- spreading his wings, mouth open, trying to cool himself down. 

Poor guy... he looked, decidedly, uncomfortable.

Mama (or Dad?) perched on a tree across the bay, kept cool in the shade. Guess children of all species have to learn some things by themselves. :)

We startled some Merganser ducks.

Although, they didn't swim very far, or very fast.

We followed this Kingfisher for awhile (until, with a flick and a flutter he let us know he was just playing with us)...

and caught a glimpse of some turkeys coming down to the water for a drink, before roosting in the trees for the night.

Under the bridge, we saw cliff swallows flitting, and diving this way and that.

We, soon, found out why.  There were nests built under every section of the bridge.

With night falling fast, it was time to come in, but not before we promised ourselves to venture out on the water again SOON!  Bruce's plan worked- the peace of this area helps heal the heart.