surprise visitors

Last Thursday I got a text from someone in my family (who will remain unnamed to protect them) saying that my parents were getting on the road  Saturday to drive two thousand miles from Indiana to Montana and 'surprise' me.  I waited until Saturday and called Dick and Mabel, "Hey!  Sooo, what's up?"  They must have left Friday cause they were already on the border of Iowa and Illinois.  They giggled calculating their ETA to me.  

I had told them earlier in the spring that they shouldn't visit in July because it would conflict with other visitors and work projects.  Mom's been sick so  they missed June, I thought, and was now looking to August.  As soon as Mom was feeling better, they decided to hop in the car and get out to Montana before June ends! In three days. What goofy parents!  

I'm not really ready for them.  I had intended to shoot another interview with them for the Dick&Mabel project when they visited next, but I haven't prepped enough questions yet. I cleaned up a bit around the house - especially my studio/office -  and we'll see if I can scrap together an improvised interview.  They should be here tonight. I'm looking forward to it.

"Who've you been talking to today?" Dad dug for information over the phone.  

"Forget it, I'm not giving up my blood," I teased back. 

Thank you mysterious family member for the warning!  What if we left town to hike Glacier or something!?

love songs

A friend recently told me she didn't have any 'good' love songs in her music collection.  Apparently everything she had was depressing and more like a break-up song.  How sad is that?

To remedy the crisis, I pulled together a random selection of celebratory love songs from Camille Yarbrough, Cat Power to Cee Lo Green.  And other crooners whose names start with letters other than 'C'.

   Click to check out my "love songs" playlist on iTunes.

If you face such an emergency, when in doubt turn to Barry White.  He's a fast (and obvious but respectable) solution not included in the list.

I want to add more to the list, so please help me out. What are some of your favorite love songs?

springing native plants

We hiked around Crazy Canyon last weekend and my eyes almost popped out of my head it was such a deliriously packed blooming wild flower party.  It's very close to town up Pattee Canyon and close to my old house so when I lived nearer, I hiked it more often. Just crossing town for this hike felt like a greater refreshing retreat and the flowers totally sweetened the deal.

For more information on Montana Native Plants, I seriously recommend the Montana Native Plant Society.  It has been years since I made it to a weed pull, but I've been a member for years and no doubt, I will get more involved again. All of the people affiliated with them that I have met are enthusiastic and generous about plants and are a great resource.  They have annual garden tours and plant sales at the Farmer's Market. Even if you aren't in Montana, check out their links page for other states and especially the Native Plant Landscaping link for great information. 

Montana Native Flowers Snaps:

arrowleaf balsamroot

pussy toes

lupine

watch out for handsome wild animals sneaking up on you

indian paintbrush

beargrass

nodding onions about to bloom, pointing up among the shrubs

We saw a lot more that I didn't get very good photos of too.

all the color demands an even more cheerful, playful hike than usual. I think B was trying to help by dodging the camera here.

And finally......(drum roll, please)

 

lady slippers are bad-ass

Lady slippers knock me down they are so discreetly bold and elegant.


Native plant related resources:
Blackfoot Native Plants
Native Ideals Seed Company
Great Bear Restoration
Montana Native Plant Society

 

dancing under umbrellas

At the end of May we went to Tennessee to attend my long, long-time friend and college roommate, Trena’s, wedding.  Trena and I became friends at a key time.  That time in life when it feels that the world is pushing you along into whatever you are supposed to do and you fear as deep as your bones that the world can’t really see who you are and what you want. Trena was a scholarly marvel and I was a reckless wannabe artist/actress.  We discovered in one another a friend that would help you see the truth when it was hard and ugly, yet a friend that didn’t abuse their insights into you. And so we built a trust. We became friends and remained friends.

part of the set for photo sessions

What kept, and I expect will keep, our friendship together is more than the circumstances of how and when we became friends.  It’s that we share an umbrella of irony.  It shields us from the rain and breaks the light when it’s too bright. It’s how you view the world and measure your expectations. 

bravo!

Under the umbrella, we share our copious notes of research in our lives; we discuss and debate.  We do a lot of laughing and crying as one might expect, too.  With this kind of friend, you believe the other sees you as you see yourself including your flaws, but really they see you as better, as how you want to see yourself.  And they encourage and push you accordingly. Over time, even if you don’t talk for weeks or months, you still count on this person to raise the bar where you want it. 

So, fast forward already...  While we’ve been busily raising and testing the bar under this umbrella, along came David. David strolls under the umbrella of irony, apparently right at home, and does a graceful, smart, humorous dance that charmed the socks of Trena.  I sensed the match before I ever met him in person.  Something different was in her voice, her perspective. Woo-hoo! It made me burst into my own jig. 

When I gave a toast, I meant to say all of this  but I panicked. I blurted out something resembling it, I hope.  

Again, raising my glass, here’s to a lifetime of dancing under umbrellas!  

quilts and cake

The Three T's

Mic Harrison and the High Score

The band was perfect in the barn and fittingly pretty much everyone kicked up their heels.  Click here for an article on the band.

Guests enjoyed sunset by the campfire

The day after the wedding, a group of us went on a lush and gentle hike.

Anyone who has hiked with Trena is familiar with this sight (above). 

a lot of laughs

me

David and Bruce

bruce&toni

Did I mention how lush it was?  Compared to where we live in the Rockies, it's overwhelming how much vegetation there is. Everything is dripping in ivy and moss. 

b playing in tiny waterfall

a Smoky Mountain getaway

Gone for only five days, we had a fantastic relaxing break in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.  We stayed at the Pioneer Cabins and Guest Farm down Boat Gunnel Road in Townsend. The proprietors, Diane and Roger (pictured above) gave us just the right amount of helpful and leave-you-alone. 

chicken coup

Past the owner's main house, there are six cabins tucked into the wooded hillside.  We stayed in the Hide Out which was perfect for us.   

Especially the swing.  

In addition to Green Cleaning, I appreciated Diane's elaborate gardens.   She kindly and generously allowed me to clip flowers to arrange a bridal bouquet for my friend's wedding.  I used crisp white calla lilies and blue hydrangea as the foundation.  (Unfortunately, in my frenzy to prepare the bouquets, I forgot to photograph the flowers or the finished bundles.  I think they turned out quite well for a novice flower arranger such as myself, but you'll have to trust me on this.) 

The creatures enjoyed it all, too.  Flower beds were buzzing with pollinators.

unidentified bird with a good tail- do you know what it is?

And just up the road on the property next to our cabins, we went to one of the best weddings.  Ever.

springing along

Spring Snaps:

A very lush, more lush than we usually get, Spring build-up has been happening here and from the looks of it, isn't going to let up soon.

Cherry blossom

The young cherry trees will hopefully produce a bowlfull of cherries this year.  Bruce counts enough for a tart.

Carrot slaw

Carrots in any variation are brightening up our dinner plates.

Chives

Rocketing chive blossoms.

Basil strawberry spritzer

Apple tree about to blossom

I inherited these apple trees at an old house I bought and fixed up.  I rent the house out and in the last few years have hired professionals to gradually reshape the tree to better health and to produce more fruit.  It's working.

Apple tree exploding with blossoms and its new bird house ready for guests

Next I need to get in the habit of annually protecting the fruit from insects.  We are figuring on an insecticidal soap, but I'm open to any non-toxic and creative suggestions if you have them.  Also, for suggestions on bird houses, what kind to get and where to place them, I recommend this link to Cornell's lab of Ornithology and also check out a local blogger, Montana Wildlife Gardener, for informative and often amusing writings about gardening applicable wherever you are.

sneakers in a tree

Our evening walks through the neighborhood into town are dotted with youthful amusing expressions like these.  

*** Oops, some of my photos didn't make it in the first upload yesterday, so I'm adding them now (on Monday).  Here they are!

With so much rain, the lawn and its weedy companions are hard to keep managed.  I snapped this just before B mowed it all down.

Chive rockets exploding.

Our thyme patio is thriving.

Remember the grid patio we put in?  (If you want to see more on how to create your own patio with thyme, click the tag at the bottom of the blog post titled "living patio.") It's soft, spreading, colorful and amazing. I highly recommend it.

Lilacs from our front porch.

Missoula is dripping with Lilac flowers right now.  It's intoxicating.

What Spring happenings are in your backyard?