It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

It's only November 18th! and look at the snow we have already!

(click on this photo to enlarge it, and see how hard it's snowing!)

Piper LOVES the snow... but Selkie is less impressed.

It makes me want to drag out the Christmas decorations! but I will refrain, until Thanksgiving is over. Which only leaves me with one outlet....

CHRISTMAS shopping!!!

(Thank God for the internet, and online shopping!)

You do what you have to

When I drive into work, I never have my "good" camera with me- which is silly, because the drive is incredibly beautiful- especially in the Fall.  There is one photo I've been dying to capture, and that's the approach to Trout Creek, over the bridge, looking into Martin Creek.  Day after day, I look at the view- no cars in sight, and tell myself, 'I could just stop on the bridge, snap the photo, and be on my way in a minute!' but I never remember to bring my SLR with me.

SOoooo.... you see where this is going, right?

Today, I remembered my camera! and I pulled out on the highway from Blue Slide- no traffic, per usual.  I got on the bridge, rolled down the passenger window, lifted my Canon, glanced in my rear view mirror to see headlights!  Eek!  I snapped the photo as I was accelerating- holding the camera in one hand.  That being said, it didn't turn out too badly!

Click on the photo to view it larger. It's worth it. It's a breath taking view, isn't it?

Wouldn't you know it!

It was time for Bruce's annual "meeting" with his fellow Biologists.  I think they actually DO have a meeting- but then, they camp out in some wilderness area, and go hunting the following day.  It's a great chance for the colleagues to exchange ideas, get a grasp of what's going on in the region, AND have fun together.  As Cade says, "Dad looks forward to this 354 days out of the year... the remainder of the time, he's doing it!"  I never begrudge him this trip.  He enjoys it so, and truth be told, even though this leaves me to do all the chores alone, I don't mind a little "me" time. 

But wouldn't you know it?  THIS year...

this is what I had to drive home in last night.... and feed the horses, chickens, and bunnies. (I kept thinking, 'if I go off the road, there won't be anyone to know about it until Thurs. morning when I don't show up at preschool!' Eek!)  The temperature plunged to 10 degrees, and I'd had a REALLY rough day at preschool (a LONG story involving school politics).  I was exhausted when I had to go out and put logs in the wood furnace at 9 pm. (although, pitch black, and a bit eerie, the snow had stopped, the stars were out, the snow sparkled in the moonlight. It's an amazing experience).

but this isn't what I'm grumbling about.  Some time during the night, I got SICK!!!  Not just the "bad-cold-in-my-chest" sick that I've been fighting... but the horrible, sleep-in-the-bathroom type sick. I'll spare you the details.!

Of course, I still had to get up this morning, and stoke the wood furnace again (It has to be done twice a day), and feed the mares, bunnies and chickens (also, done twice a day).

If Bruce had been home, he'd have done that for me.

but if he had, I'd have missed this!  

Montana is a land of trade-offs, and there's just something about it, that gets you feeling stronger despite yourself.

Sissy

You might remember Sissy.  She was a fawn last Winter- the sister of Imp. Just a tiny little thing.  Well, I'm pretty sure this is the same little deer.  She's grown a bit, but unfortunately, she's succumbed to a virus called deer fibroma. 

It's a benign growth, which unfortunately, is fairly easily transferable.  Sissy is lucky, because her growth isn't likely to interfere with her ability to see or eat. You can imagine how disastrous it is when deer develop these fibromas near their eyes, their mouth, or even on their throats. 

Perhaps, this growth will keep any hunters from shooting her, and she'll go on to raise fawns of her own.  It doesn't seem to keep other deer away from her.  We see her often in the company of her mother. 

So, even in the wild, there are some who bear burdens, who stand out in the crowd. I see so many similarities between wildlife and human life.  I'll keep you up to date on our little Sissy.

Unpopular subject

I was recently reminded that the purpose of this blog, was to describe to the majority of you a different lifestyle- so, here goes, because I doubt many of you have experienced this.

How can I communicate to you how vastly disconcerting it is be be safe, and warm inside this house, working on a project of some sort, and to hear the sharp, LOUD, blast of a rifle?  Instantly, I know that one of my wildlife friends is in trouble.  I have to admit that in this, I'm in the minority.  People out here don't feel about animals the way I do.  Animals, out here, are a means to an end. They are meat, or protection or a nuisance.  To cry over a wild deer strikes many as ridiculous.  I do it all the same.

 

I truly despise hunting season.  And for many reasons.

I'll be feeding the mares, and BANG! that rifle shot again- The horses take off running, snorting, tails high.  Or... I'll be riding and BOOM!  stupid rifle shot again.  I worry, even riding on my own property, that some yahoo will be trespassing, and mistake my horse for an elk.  It's not uncommon, after all, when else do we condone sending young and old, into the woods with cases of beer and guns?  Things happen. Bruce says, good, law abiding, decent folk lose their BRAINS when they see an elk.  The thought of losing one of my mares to a stray bullet terrifies me. 

and yet- it is a fact of life out here. 

I send my husband away to other places to get our meat for Winter, and it does cross my mind, that maybe, just maybe, there's another crazy tree-hugging, animal lover who is worried about her wildlife friends. To them, just in case, I always apologize- and I want them to know that my husband passes up MANY, many shots until he knows without a doubt that he can kill the animal outright with one shot. He cannot abide being the cause of an animal suffering. AND afterwards, he always sends a prayer of thanks to the deer, elk, etc. who sacrificed it's life so we can eat. 

As I've said before, I "get it".  The whole circle of life thing... the whole predator/prey relationship... balancing numbers, etc.  I get it.  I don't like it, but I get it. I just feel how I feel.  I know that each and every one of those animals have a distinct personality, and a burning desire to live. And when you kill one of them, it matters to them.

And out of respect, it matters to me, too.

Ever changing

I got today's inspiration from laughing at myself!

I was looking out the sliding glass doors, at my backyard, and immediately grabbed for my camera. 'It's SO beautiful! I've GOT to get a picture!' I sighed to the Shelties... and then, I realized, that I not only had at least 100 photos of this exact shot, but I probably had 2-3 on my camera at that moment. 

It was then that the idea struck me. Wouldn't it be sort of cool, to post all those photos....?  Because, although, I take numerous pictures standing on my back patio, looking up the Deep Creek drainage, they are all so different!  Living here, our view changes daily. And every nuance is breathtaking!

So- without further adieu...

April 2011

 

and a few days later- April 2011

May 2011 (not QUITE the same photo- but still the backyard- I've just turned a bit to my right)

July 2010

August 2010- red sun due to all the fires in the area. Again, this one is cheating a bit- not exactly the same spot as the others. Hmmm... I'm going to have to work on this, and do another post like this.

August full moon (ok... time to get back on track)

October 2011

Hallowe'en morning! 2011 (it's worth it to click on the photo above, and open it all the way up- It's a panorama- and pretty nice, if I do say so myself :)

Nov. 1st 2011

Nov. 3rd? or somewhere close 2011

Nov. 11, 2011

and finally, Nov. 12, 2011

It's hard to beat living here, with this ever changing view.  I'm truly grateful.

 oops! I lied. Here's ONE more, taken today- Nov. 13, 2011. I thought I had time to sneak this into the series, because I don't think very many people have viewed this post yet. :)  Amazing... the changes in one day, right?

Best ride EVER!

You've all been privy to my ongoing challenge with Journey.  Last Wednesday was a lovely day, and I rode her out of the pasture, and into the back meadow.  I was nervous- She was nervous BUT we rode a short trail through the woods (filled, she was sure, with horse eating monsters) first with me working to distract her with "jobs" (turning, backing, going over logs, etc), then again, with less tension, and a third time trotting! When we came back into our field, she was sure she was finished with this "riding business", but I forced her into the far pasture (where she acted like a rodeo bronc, and bucked off my daughter last summer) and made her trot in circles until she did it easily, without resistance.  I felt I'd progressed with her, and in MY training. LOL!

Imagine my surprise, when I went out to longe her last Saturday, and she reared!

and started bucking!

while on the longe line!

I was proud of myself... I didn't panic, and I didn't scream. I told her NO, firmly, and insisted she stay trotting in the direction I'd sent her.  I kept her longeing, switching directions often, until she showed no attitude. I was hoping that she'd been testing me, and praying I'd passed.

But that little tantrum of hers had a subtle effect.  I found that even though our last ride had been so successful, I was reluctant to get on her back again.  All my old fears were rearing their ugly heads. I figured that it WAS November, and cold... and so, I could just let the whole riding thing go... but deep inside, I knew I was letting fear get the better of me, and I was sad.

Then....

today, turned out to be a GORGEOUS day- AND I happened to have the day off.

I told myself I didn't have to ride... BUT, I should longe Journey again, and do some groundwork.  She did her ground work perfectly, so with growing confidence, I saddled her up.

We worked at opening and closing gates for awhile- maneuvering backwards, forwards, sideways, etc. We got pretty good!

Then, we worked on going where I wanted to go :)  which was seldom where Journey wanted to go, at least in the beginning. 

THEN, in a huge leap of faith for me, I asked her to canter.

This should NOT be a big deal, however, EVERY time I've asked her to canter in the past, she initially, just refused to- trotting faster and faster and faster, but resisting breaking into a lope. When I would finally convince her to change her gait, she'd buck, which would scare me, and I'd quit asking her to canter. Today, I decided to try again, and this time.....

She immediately moved into a canter the first time I asked, and NO BUCK!

It was FAST! and it was scary, and I bounced all around (poor horse), but she didn't buck! I didn't fall off! and I wanted MORE!

So, I pulled her around, and we did it again! and again! and again! Every time I got better. Every time, she immediately moved into a lope, and never thought about bucking! 

EUPHORIA!

But I wasn't done.

We opened the far gate, and rode out into the meadow.  She was a bit nervous, and since we'd been cantering, she was moving out briskly.  I made sure she would back up for me, and flex, and I gave her some "work" to do.  We rode that short trail one way, and then, turned and rode it back the other way. We struck off into the woods, and walked over logs, under trees, on deer paths, and on trails we made ourselves. We took off down a part of the road we'd never ridden before, and at some point, I felt, actually felt, Journey sigh, and give herself over to trusting me. Her nervousness was just GONE. She was ready and willing to be my partner wherever I asked her to go.  

I petted and stroked her winter-furry neck, warm and soft. I talked to her the entire ride- babbling on and on about how good she was, how brave, and strong, and how very much I loved her. I looked around, and saw the golden yellow tamaracks, the orange ferns, the brown grasses, the snow on the mountains, and that Montana blue sky.  And I was overwhelmed with gratitude.

We'd made it! 

I trusted her, and she, in turn, decided she'd trust me.

And THAT, just that, is what made this our BEST ride ever!

at least, so far. :)