The end

The end of the garden season is near.  We had a couple of nights with light frost in the garden.  I had covered my tomato plants with a tarp so they survived.  Just in case I picked all the tomatoes with color and they are slowly ripening in my bay window.

We are enjoying eating stuffed peppers and I have canned a dozen jars of pickled peppers.  They add great flavor to sandwich spreads and anything that needs a little heat and spice.

Pepper Jam is on my "to-do" list.  Hopefully, in the next couple of days.  It is so warm and sunny that I want to spend all my time outdoors, cleaning up the garden and getting ready for winter.  It's just too nice out there to spend my time indoors.

I have been in a race with the raccoons to harvest some of my plums.  They showed up last night in full force with three of them in the tree.  Maggie tries to keep them away, but there's not much she can do except bark at them.  They just climb up in the tree and stay there.  

I will be slicing the plums and drying them soon.  

We had 14 big trees do down in the windstorm and Retired Mountain Man has hired our friend Bill to limb them, cut off the stumps and the big rootballs so that we can ship them to the mill. 

The job is almost finished except for a lot of brush clean-up. 

Retired Mountain Man's dahlias have made it through the light frost and are blooming away.  They are spectacular right now.  This is a new white dahlia.  Dinner-plate size.

I am working on pruning all of the lilies and perennials and getting everything on the compost pile.  Mowing the lawn is also on the list today.

 I watched the "debate" last night.  It was an embarrassment for the nation.  The president of the United States spent 90 minutes bullying his opponent, the moderator and the American people.  

What came through the screen was the reality that Trump is a very mean and cruel man.  If he will behave in that manner in public, on national TV, just imagine what his behavior is like in private.  That was abuse on public display. 

Joe Biden on the other hand, reminded us that our vote is going to decide whether we have a democracy in 2021 or not. 

Retired Mountain Man and I have already voted.  Here's to democracy in 2021.

A meeting at the cedars.

We finally did it.  A family meeting at Ross Creek Cedars.  Unfortunately, not everyone could be there.  Our thinking was that there wouldn't be as many people there in the middle of the week.  Boy, were we wrong about that.  There were more than a dozen cars in and out during the time we were there.   

We planned for a picnic lunch and there was a nice picnic area with tables next to the creek.  It was a lovely spot even though there was no water running in the creek.  

Retired Mountain Man was thrilled that there was Kentucky Fried Chicken on the menu.  

Daughter-in-law Julie loved taking photos.  She was "on it".   We celebrated her birthday (late) and my birthday (early).  It was fun.  I have to say that there's not a lot of fun these days and it was wonderful to joke and laugh and just enjoy being together.

There were lots of interesting trees for photo ops.

Retired Mountain Man explaining how this tree was like a chimney on fire.  

 

We spent a good couple of hours walking through the grove and taking photos.

It's always amazing to me how resilient trees are especially after going through the latest windstorm which knocked down so many big trees.  It is so sad to see so many go. 

Grandson Ben just loved the whole day.  You can see it in his face.

We know we won't be able to be together to celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas, but we're trying to plan some way to see each other. 

We might have to plan some kind of drive-in celebration where we can all retreat to our cars to get warm in-between gathering outdoors?

We can be creative.  There must be a way to do it.

Peace will bloom

 

Women Hold Up Half of the Sky

When great trees fall,

rocks on distant hills shudder,

lions hunker down

in tall grasses,

and even elephants

lumber after safety.

When great trees fall

in forests,

small things recoil into silence,

their senses

eroded beyond fear.

When great souls die,

the air around us becomes

light, rare, sterile.

We breathe, briefly.

Our eyes, briefly,

see with

a hurtful clarity.

Our memory, suddenly sharpened,

examines,

gnaws on kind words

unsaid,

promised walks

never taken.

Great souls die and

our reality, bound to

them, takes leave of us.

Our souls,

dependent upon their

nurture,

now shrink, wizened.

Our minds, formed

and informed by their

radiance,

fall away.

We are not so much maddened

as reduced to the unutterable ignorance

of dark, cold

caves.

And when great souls die,

after a period peace blooms,

slowly and always

irregularly. Spaces fill

with a kind of

soothing electric vibration.

Our senses, restored, never

to be the same, whisper to us.

They existed. They existed.

We can be. Be and be

better. For they existed.

Maya Angelou

All the women in my life that I've known have held up their half of the sky and more.

You are strong. You are powerful. You contribute many good things to your community.

The women I know are there to support their families and their friends.

Now is the time to be even stronger and do more.

It is my belief that there should be nine women justices on the Supreme Court.

America will have a woman serving as president and vice president.

The time will come when there will be more women serving in the cabinet than men.

Vote. Donate. Help another woman get elected to office. Run for office. Start planning now.

That's how you make change and honor Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Make good trouble.

To wear a mask or not. Russian Roulette

Who are the thousand people who die every day?  Were they Republicans or Democrats?

Over 200,000 are dead from the virus with more to come.  Republicans or Democrats?  Maybe they were Independents?  Green Party?  

What about those who are projected to die?  Supposedly, another 200,000-300,000 by January 1st.  

What is their party affiliation?

Every day another thousand Americans die. Trump never says anything about them, except that most of them live in "Blue States".  No one has died in who lives in "Red states"?  

Again, were they Republicans or Democrats who died?  It seems to be important to him.

Or wait.  Maybe there are Republicans that live in blue states?  Or vice-versa?

The president's refusal to encourage the wearing of masks and social distancing while holding large campaign rallies where his own followers will be exposed, is criminal.  

It's his new game of Russian Roulette.  Played with his own supporters.

I believe that everyone should wear a mask.  I think they work and I agree with Dr. Redfield.  They might be better than a vaccine because the first vaccine may not be that effective against the virus.  It may offer only 60%-70% effectiveness in protecting you. 

When I meet someone who is not wearing a mask (and around here that's more than 50 percent), it tells me that they only care about themselves.  

They don't care about anyone else.  Not me.  Not the people who are high-risk or the elderly. 

Most of all, they could care less about those in the medical profession who have to take care of all of us. 

They are truly selfish people. 

Apparently, your party affiliation could make a difference in whether you survive this virus or not. 

When you vote in November, remember that. 

 Quote:  "I don't like shaking hands with people.  Now I won't have to shake hands with those disgusting people".  Donald Trump.

She served as a lead on the White House Coronavirus Task for the Vice President.

Just another of the hundreds of "disgruntled" employees who have left the Trump administration. 

  

Camera roll - 48 years.

How many memories are there after 48 years?   

Way back then in 1972, one didn't take thousands of photos like we do now.  The film had to be mailed off somewhere to be developed and it was expensive for those of us on a budget.  

After I retired, I decided that I would scan all of our old photos so that I would have a digital copy.   

I'm posting some of the collection in no particular order.  Photos of memories from almost fifty years.  Good times when everyone could get together.

Mom and my brothers and sisters in Victor, Montana.  Circa 1976.

David's 1st grade class at Hope Elementary School.  (The old school)

David's band concert at Clark Fork - 5th grade.  He is the baritone player.

Jon showing nephew Derek a turtle that we picked up along the highway by Denton Slough.  

My brother, Don, and his son Travis, performing "That Old Time Rock and Roll". 

Elk Camp at Independence Creek.

There were hundreds if not thousands of poker games.  

Jon was always active in the teacher's organization and promoting education.

Trying to catch a nuisance bear back in the 1990's.  Not a griz though.  I think David was working for the Forest Service Fire Crew that year.  Son Jamie, worked several summers at Round Lake State Park.  Summer jobs helped them get through college.

JP and David helping install the tank for the water line back in 1992.

The landcruiser that JP drove back and forth to Clark Fork during high school.  Hundreds of basketball practices and games.  It was old and beat up, but it was a 4x4, which was a necessity if you really wanted to make it home at midnight during the winter.  Before we had the cruiser there were many late night that we would wait on HWY 200 for the school bus to return from an away game.  There were no cell phones, so it was just a guess as to when the bus might be there.  

The oyster party when our grade arbor was delivered.  It was built by "Tony the Torch".  It is now covered with grapevines.

Clark Fork Football - 1990.

Our sons growing up, high school and college years and on to the future.

Good times singing "If I Were A Rich Man".

On the farm.

There were many years that we raised beef.

Fast forward to lots of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  The best part of 48 years.  We miss them a lot and haven't seen them since last January when this photo was taken.  

Yes, grandma baked a doll cake.  Who knew?

A trip to Virginia City.

Yes, we did remember our anniversary this year, but that was only because our daughter-in-law, Julie, reminded us on Monday.