8/30/14

~ Dragon fly ~







Clouds of insects danced and buzzed in the golden autumn light,
and the air was full of the piping of the song-birds.
Long glinting dragon-flies shot across the path,
or hung tremulous with gauzy wings and gleaming bodies.
~Arthur Conan Doyle, The White Company

 

8/28/14

Montana Country

 









 






I’m in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection. But with Montana it is love. And it’s difficult to analyze love when you’re in it.”
~ John Steinbeck


A beautiful time of year in Montana. Warm late summer days and cool clear starry nights. Fields are golden skies are blue. Breathing in the last days of summer bracing for the daunting winter season. Canadian geese are blown in by the wind...announcing autumn is on her way. So we enjoy our last longer days, by the lake, in the field, by the fire wrapped up in blankets. We wouldn't have it any other way- this is why we hold Montana so close to our heart.
The dance.
Embracing what she has to offer.

Life here is simple - leaving the complexities for the busy minds of city folk.
Here folks still say sir and ma'am, and my favorite; "Thank you kindly"
Cowboys are gentle yet strong minded with a twinkle in their eye and a smirk on their face when you're making a fool of yourself. Like Larry who stops by unannounced while I am out riding in the pasture- just to say hi and see me ride.
He carries two bales at a time- one in each hand, no gloves.
An afternoon well spent is still...sitting on the fence, a cold beer in hand- shooting the breeze with your neighbors.
There is a sweetness about Montana- something familiar and good.
It's true and real.

Montana Country has a big heart.... yet, not for the faint of heart.
Some say it takes grit and determination to get thru the winters.
Then....we are sweetly rewarded by the kiss of summer.
Wide open spaces- room to roam, fresh air, space to be without interruptions. Silence....quiet,
but mother nature will wake you up. Slumber while you can- Montana makes you feel alive.
It is wild.

We wonder with excitement and anticipation when will it finally start snowing...and when will it quit?

Dirt and dusty roads, starry nights, summers early morning sunrise, winters early afternoon sunsets, fresh scent of cedar and pine, meadow lark and blue birds. The crisp cool air, clear blue lakes and streams, jagged mountains, quaking aspens, grass gently swaying in the soft wind and warm summer nights filled with calls of whippoorwill. Colorful meadows painted with wild flowers, forests deep and green, snow softly falling and wind chill that would send a Polar bear south.

Hot sun on your back, a lousy trio of sweat, itch and arms sore after days of haying in the field. Wind scratching red cheeks, frosty hands, feeling chilled to the bone while the cold wind whips as deep snow is shoveled for days on end.

Nature has it's way - you either love it or hate it.
Montana is a love affair- you feel it in your heart, your soul.
It's a pull and push- a give and take.

You're in it.

But the truth is:
 you are here.
In the middle of nowhere.

...and there is nowhere I would rather be than in Montana Country.





 

8/26/14

Bray Cap


 
Happy Happy Joy Joy!
 
Ski season is around the corner
 and this hat makes me happy!


Skiing is a dance, and the mountain always leads. 
~Author Unknown
 
 
 
Joining Ginny.




 

8/24/14

Little Dresses For Africa


There has been a whirl wind of cleaning
and organizing in my home lately.
I am learning to let go


I LOVE  material,
especially vintage material
 this was one of the toughest things that I had to let go of.
 A few years back I found a beautiful charity that it is close to my heart
 
" pillow case dresses"
 
  I made and shipped out a few to these little girls.

This crossed my mind once again when I saw how much material I had.
 Though much of it was donated to the local thrift
 a little was held on to and made into pillow case dresses.
 


 
So I cut and sewed these little cuties
hopeing some little girl might have better day wearing one
 feeling loved and special
 


 They are easy and fun to make

 Once finished they are sorted in sizes
 

 Then shipped to Michigan to be further distributed


If you or someone would like to do this
you can find the pattern
 and all the other information
 

8/21/14

Hiking Avalanche



 













...Nothing makes me happier...
 familia + nature



Walk away quietly in any direction and taste the freedom of the mountaineer.
Camp out among the grasses and gentians of glacial meadows, in craggy garden nooks full of nature's darlings.
Climb the mountains and get their good tidings,
Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.
The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy,
while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.
As age comes on, one source of enjoyment after another is closed, but nature's sources never fail.
~John Muir