RMKK Companion

The Promise

2012-02-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

When I saw a blog article on the Huffington Post by “That Girl”, I was curious. The post was titled St. Jude at 50...and a Nation’s Stamp of Approval.

What else did Marlo Thomas have to say, I wondered.

I remember her father, Danny Thomas, as the Lebanese actor well known for his big nose, who played the dad in one of my favorite childhood TV series “Make Room for Daddy”, and as the founder of St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

I clicked over to read the article.

I learned that on February 16, the United States Postal Service will unveil a commemorative stamp in honor of her famous father. He passed away on February 6, 1991. This year he would have turned 100 and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

But the most fascinating part of her story was how her father came to build St. Jude. She tells it like this: continue reading

My Ankh

Hope you all had a pleasant Valentine's Day!

Till next time,

Marlene

The Neighbor

2012-02-09T13:58:00.000-07:00

My doorbell rang the other night, or I should say buzzed. It’s the kind of sound that pierces the eardrums and makes your heart skip a beat. Just ask my noise sensitive husband David. He'll tell you.

I stared at the front door for a moment wondering who would be calling at that time of night. Kalispell folds up fairly early in winter and unless you are attending a meeting of some kind you’re usually hunkered down shortly after dark.

I opened the door, and it was my neighbor. He doesn’t talk to us very much. In fact he ignores us most of the time. I’ve concluded it’s because we’re from the south and he doesn’t care for non-natives. Perhaps he’ll clear this up for me one day, so I won‘t continue jumping to conclusions. continue reading

Thanks to all who have subscribed to RMKK on Wordpress!

Till next time,

Marlene

6 Ways to Beat Cabin Fever

2012-02-06T17:43:00.002-07:00

Cabin Fever - A type of hysteria where a person or group of persons spends too much time indoors.

Does this sound like you? I know it sounds like the circumstances around this household.

It’s almost February, undoubtedly the dreariest, ugliest month of the entire year. This is the time when you’re stuck inside of the house with nothing better to do than zip a jacket up to your chin, turn on the heater, and look up photos of summer scenes on the internet. This time is so dull and depressing that it’s likely you’ll need a little something to pick you out of the winter doldrums- so brew up another pot of coffee and settle in for 6 ways to Beat Cabin Fever. continue reading

Till next time,

Marlene

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Hello everyone! If you are not following here, you are missing out on the most current articles. The pictures are larger too. When you click over, look at the top right for the subscribe by email link.

Thank you to all of our followers for sharing with RMKK.

Hugs!

In Search of the Snowy Owl

2012-01-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

The last time the snowy owl descended upon the Flathead Valley in large numbers was in the winter of 2005 – 2006. It was my first winter residing here, and I was very impressed with wintertime and snow. Occasionally, I would drive around different parts of the valley to admire the view. On one of those excursions, I was lucky enough to encounter a glimpse of the majestic owl. It sat perched atop a fence post in the Lower Valley.

Once again, the snowy owl has migrated from its natural Artic habitat to Montana. The Flathead Valley offers an ideal wintering spot for the birds as the windswept prairies and frozen lakes are reminders of the tundra of which they call home. continue reading

A frozen stream through a field in the Lower Valley.

Till next time,

Marlene

Berries of the Mountain Ash - A Legend

2012-01-24T17:26:00.000-07:00

Winter has finally arrived to Northwest Montana. Snow has been falling all day and I am thrilled by its arrival.

I love the crunch under my boots, the bright illuminations of a moonlit night, and the silence of a new blanket of snow.

With the exception of a few souls shoveling walks, a woman scraping her windshield free of ice, and a barking dog or two, it was quiet as Eileen and I walked around the neighborhood.

It was in the early a.m. and cold, about 15 degrees. I brought my camera, and kept it tucked inside my coat to keep it warm. The combination of red berries and white snow was hard to resist, and I captured a few shots of crab apples,

Crab Apples

and berries of the mountain ash.

Berries of the Mountain Ash

An Ojibwa Legend

In late autumn or winter one will see an entirely different kind of tree dotted here and there among the green pines and spruce. These are Mountain Ash trees covered in a mass of brilliant red berries. The more berries on the tree, the more severe the winter will be. Why is this so? Legend relates that many years ago, even before Canada had a name, a severe and terrible winter set in. Snowdrifts formed in great heights and temperatures dropped to extraordinary degrees below zero.

While in search of food, the Indian hunters became terrified when they came upon hundreds of birds and small animals lying dead on the frozen snow banks. Immediately they banded together in great numbers and offered prayers' to the Great Manitou, as they were frightened that the same evil spirits would destroy them also.

The Great-Spirit answered them by instructing them to take one drop of blood from every dead bird and small animal and smear it on the tree that meant life and death to their people. As the Mountain Ash was the tree whence they fashioned bows and arrows, their only means of survival, they chose it and set about as Manitou had made them do. The following morning every tree they had smeared bore thousands of berries. The birds and small animals that had survived were perched on the mountain Ash branches eating the life-giving food.

The happy Indians danced late into the night, giving thanks to Manitou, who in return gave his promise that whenever a cold winter was approaching again, he would cover these trees with food.

- I wish to express my thanks to the source of this information - First People - The Legends for its wonderful resource.

Hope you enjoyed the legend. I did. Next fall I will surely take notice of the number of berries on the trees.

Till next time,

Marlene

Look No Farther Than Your Own Backyard

2012-01-19T13:44:00.002-07:00

David and I took a leisurely drive into the heart of the Flathead Valley.

Farms and ranches dotted the landscape, under a turbulent sky.

Curious horses in fuzzy winter coats graciously posed for pictures,

before we stopped at Fairview Cemetery, where it was incredibly cold.

A field of diverse angels was revealed. A girlish one prays to the heavens.

A sleeping cherubim pitted by time, lay peacefully.

A trumpeting Gabriel shone in the light.

While yet another symbolizes the renewal of life.

Observe carefully when wandering about a cemetery. You will find life,

and tokens from the dead.

On the road again, we spotted wildlife. We stopped and began hunting with our cameras.

A herd of 30 magnificent elk grazed in a grassy field

We snapped shot after shot until they ran into the woods.

It was a day of unexpected treasures discovered in our own backyard.

Thank you all for following!

Till next time,

Marlene

Where is Winter?

2012-01-09T15:43:00.000-07:00

These days, it’s more like spring than winter in Kalispell. The snow that fell last fall is all but gone and Christmas was more on the brown side than white.

The shooting sports instructor has given consideration to raking leaves, and David said he knows someone that drove a motorcycle to work. Those are two things you wouldn‘t dream of doing in January. It’s usually much too cold for riding bikes and the roads are either snow packed or worse. And for the leaves – they would be under snow and wouldn’t cross your mind till spring.

It’s been so unusual that the streets department has had to make work for its employees who are usually plowing snow and sanding streets at this time of year. A crew came by and made a bunch of noise one morning grinding down a rough spot in our sidewalk. I embarrassed my daughter by going out and asking them what they were doing. They told me they had to have something to do because they didn’t have any snow to plow. continue reading

Till next time,

Marlene

12 Blog Favorites From 2011

2011-12-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

The RMKK people at Smith Lake

Wow! Another blogging year has come to an end. I sincerely hope my family and I have entertained and informed you in 2011. Thank you for visiting RMKK and sharing your lives with us. We are grateful for your feedback and goodwill.

May you have a happy, healthy, and prosperous NEW YEAR!

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It has become a tradition to share 12 blog favorites from the past year that we hope you will enjoy revisiting, or reading for the very first time. This year's articles include adventure, humor, and reminiscences along with some great photographs and videos. We hope you will enjoy them and share your favorites with friends and family!

January - The Mail Slot - Have you ever thought about the things that you have manifested in your life? I did in this article. Everything from a bat hanging on the screen door to the postman that didn't want to give me my mail.

February - Bar Stool Races in Martin City, the Video - Kalispell teen survives collision with out of control canoe, the driver, Bigfoot, may have been intoxicated. This is a fun article and video of the raucous bar stool races in Martin City.

March - Beauty, Guns, Speed, and Marijuana - Montana has it all! They don't call it the Last Best Place for nothing.

April - Just Call Me Nobody - Yep, that's me...Nobody. The liberal news media can be very irritating!

May - The Third Time is the Charm - Big Fish - It takes patience to catch a fish. Find out just how much in this entertaining fish story.

June - Cycling Adventure in Glacier - Hikers, Bikers, and Bears! - While plowing progressed on the upper reaches of the Sun Road, vehicular traffic was stopped at Avalanche. This left the road to hikers, bikers, and bears!

July - Screaming Bigfoot - Cyber screams and name calling. You'll be shocked at some of the things people say about our video, Screaming Bigfoot.

August - Karma Came and Got Me - That's how karma works! After writing an article about quitters, karma came and got me on the Highline Trail.

September - Talk About a Blast - In this one I feel like Sara Conner. This article could have been titled - "Happiness is a Warm Gun".

October - Discover the Little Gems with Geocaching - It's great to be in the flow! It all fell into place for this extraordinary geocaching adventure. Everything from pictographs to bear scat!

November - So You Want to Move to Montana? -Find out what it's really like living in Montana ...you will have to use an outhouse, get eaten by bears, and possibly get eaten by the abominable snowman.

December - The Saga of the Silver Christmas Tree - A sweet and simple poem about my childhood Christmas Tree.

Have a safe holiday everyone!

Marlene

The Saga of the Silver Christmas Tree

2011-12-20T13:44:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time in the 1960’s,
When everybody thought everything was nifty,

Came out of a box,
Complete with branches and stand,

An aluminum Christmas tree,
Of which I was not a fan.

It was thought to be modern,
And space age too,

No chopping, no watering,
Less clean up for you.

It shown in the window,
All shiny and bright,

With color wheel turning,
As it could wear no lights.

It was artificial,
So it had no scent,

Please! Can’t we have a real one,
And finally it went,

Now that I think about it,
So long ago,

I love that Silver Christmas Tree,
With all its glow,

You might think them tacky,
You may call them cheap,

But now that they are vintage,
Many people think they’re neat.

Me in front on Christmas Day in 1967 in front of our aluminum Christmas Day.

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According to Wikipedia -

At the height of the aluminum tree’s popularity, the trees were sold in the Sears Catalog. Sears’ sales pitch remarked:

“Whether you decorate with blue or red balls . . . or use the tree without ornaments – this exquisite tree is sure to be the talk of your neighborhood. High luster aluminum gives a dazzling brilliance. Shimmering silvery branches are swirled and tapered to a handsome realistic fullness. It’s really durable . . needles are glued and mechanically locked on. Fireproof . . you can use it year after year.” - Sears, 1963 Christmas Book

Season's Greetings!

Marlene

Oh Well, We Forgot the Pajamas

2011-12-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

A small crowd gathered on the porch of the Conrad Mansion as the essence of Thanksgiving withered and the Christmas season began to bloom. The mood was festive as a convivial stranger spoke of historical Boston. Finally, the screen door opened and a middle-aged woman looked us over. She told us that it would be a few minutes before we could enter and that the party with the reservations would be served first.

David and I were there to see the night clothes exhibit. Not only would we see 100 year old p.j.‘s, we would have the pleasure of seeing the mansion decked out in all its Christmas finery.

The warmth of the parlor felt good as we were let in to pay for our tour. A beautifully decorated mantel caught my eye,

...continue reading (this article has eight beautiful photographs of Conrad Mansion)

Enjoy!

Till next time,

Marlene

I Want My Pumpkin Made in America

2011-12-13T13:06:00.000-07:00

It’s batty enough that I prepare my mirlitons with frozen shrimp from Thailand, and not the Gulf of Mexico. I am not about to bake my traditional Thanksgiving Day pie with pumpkin from China.

Bargain Brand Pumpkin, not such a bargain in my books.

Earlier in the season, I had looked for canned pumpkin at the store as my daughter had requested it to use in everyday recipes. A very nice clerk who was stocking shelves, told me it was scarce due to the unusual weather conditions the country had seen last spring. The mid-west had seen torrential rains and flooding – not very conducive to good pumpkin growing. Because of that, the crop wasn’t as big this year, and the store hadn’t received a delivery of canned pumpkin.

I accepted that, and knew to keep my eye open for canned pumpkin. If it didn’t show up on the shelves in the coming weeks, I would buy a small, fresh one for pie.

A few weeks passed, and Mallory was sent to do the weekly shopping. I love when she does the grocery shopping because she sticks to the list, comes home with lots of fresh fruits and veggies, and is a super fast shopper.

On this particular trip, she bought some canned pumpkin. I was delighted that she had found some, and at a bargain price. It wasn’t our usual Libby brand pumpkin, and I honestly thought the grocer had substituted it for the national brand, due to a shortage.

She used the canned pumpkin for yummy pumpkin oatmeal and thick pumpkin lattes.

When Thanksgiving shopping rolled around, I picked up two cans of the bargain pumpkin and stored it on a shelf in the basement.

Several days went by before it was time for the holiday baking. The aroma of baking cornbread and savory stuffed mirlitons filled the kitchen. Next on the to-do list:

Bake a pumpkin pie
Bake a fresh cherry pie

Before getting started, I looked at the label on the canned pumpkin. My brow furrowed at the sight of PRODUCT OF CHINA. This was an outrage – I couldn’t do it! I simply could not bake our time-honored pie with pumpkin from China. I told my husband, David, what I had discovered, and said I wanted to return it for pumpkin MADE IN AMERICA. It seemed absurd to me that we would buy pumpkin from China when we (Americans) are perfectly capable of producing our own pumpkins!

Beware! Festival Pumpkin, a product of China

With 2 cans of pumpkin and receipt in hand, I explained to the girl with the oogly black and platinum hair that I had to return the pumpkin because it was made in China.

“Okay,“ she said, but I have a hunch she was a bit bewildered by my request. The younger generation just doesn't get that America used to be a manufacturing giant.

David and I went down the cake mix isle and found the Libby pumpkin. With some apprehension, I checked the label to make sure that it was made in America. It was – Ohio.

I brought the can of pumpkin back to customer service where I exchanged the 2 cans of made in China to the one can made in America. I received a penny back.

I know it isn’t much, but I left the store feeling like I had done a small part to preserve our manufacturing know-how of producing canned pumpkin in the United States.

Both American Made

Till next time,

Marlene

The Big Tire Adventure

2011-12-06T13:18:00.001-07:00

Costco really should give out numbers at their tire center.

You pick a number when you go to the Department of Motor Vehicles and you also pick a number at Economical’s deli department so you’ll know when it’s your turn to be served. It makes everything nice and efficient; there’s no rushing to get a place in line because you have your number.

Your number holds your spot; unless you go off somewhere to another isle for a jar of Blue Plate mayonnaise, let’s say, and you don’t hear your number being called. After they call “13, 13, anybody got number 13?”, and you don’t speak up, you’ll miss your turn and the lady with number 14 will get her prosciutto before you get your sliced ham.

As I was saying, Costco should have numbers. continue reading

The snow flies while we wait for tires.

Till next time!

Marlene

A Watched Pot Never Boils

2011-12-01T12:45:00.001-07:00

A watched pot never boils. If you’ve ever boiled an egg, you know this to be true. You wait and wait and wait, and nothing happens until you walk away. Then, voila! The water starts bubbling like crazy, and in 10 minutes (13 minutes in Kalispell, higher elevation instructions for hard boiled eggs), you have eggs cooked to perfection. Firm yellow yolks, with no green ring!

Mallory and Eileen on the bike path.

Watching my apple butter come to a full boil was just as monotonous as anything else. Pots do this to torture us, I believe. I had to stir and stir, and stir some more. For what seemed like an eternity, I watched my apple cinnamon, brown sugar spice goop - do nothing. After what seemed like an eternity, I called on M and E for relief. Their poor little wrists couldn’t take the constant stirring, and they pooped out pretty quickly.

I finally got impatient and turned up the heat. Not much. Just a tad. I didn’t want to scorch the mixture. I boldly looked away.

- It began to simmer and then came to a full rolling boil.

- I cooked it down and filled the canning jars.

- I processed the jars in a boiling water bath.

- I took them out and set them on the baker’s rack to cool.

- Next day, I checked my seals and cleaned the jars.

After a few days, I opened one. What a disappointment! After all of that tedious work, it was too thin. It didn’t come out thick and creamy, but is tasty enough. It makes an excellent topping for vanilla ice cream.

This past weekend was a lot like watching a pot waiting to boil. A winter storm was forecast to blow through Kalispell; we were expecting snow. I kept looking out the window and checking the thermometer to see if it was getting colder.

Whenever I looked out, all I could see were dark skies and drippy rain. And the temperature? It was in the 40’s and bone chilling!

Where was the snow?

The yucky weather persisted throughout the weekend. When Monday came, I felt jipped.

Then, the wind picked up, the wind chimes chimed, and snow began to swirl. Yippee! The storm had arrived.

Moral of the story - have patience.
Everything comes in time to him who knows how to wait. ~Tolstoy

Till next time,

Marlene

In Search of the Elusive Hose Tower

2011-11-23T11:09:00.000-07:00

How would you feel if the sun was shining, your family was bored, and all you could come up with, for fun, was to take a ride to look for a hose tower? I mean…it was something I wanted to do, but------>eventually. I didn’t think I wanted to waste a perfectly good day on it, but nothing better came up.

As usual, I felt a bit disappointed when I saw the clouds hanging over the canyon as we drove down Hwy. 206. I couldn’t help myself. I started complaining that we were leaving the sunshiny valley, and heading into the clouds. What a shame to leave fair weather behind. Fall was nodding towards winter and soon sunshine would be scarce. continue reading...

Middle Fork of the Flathead River, Glacier National Park, Montana

Till next time,

Marlene

So You Want to Move to Montana?

2011-11-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

Before moving to Montana with “Reckless Abandon”, I had notions as to what life was like in this great state.

I wondered if I would have to order my stuff online and if I would have to use Netflix because there was no cable.
I pondered stocking up on food in case the grocery store was not in walking distance and I got snowed in.
I pictured cowboys and cowgirls everywhere, and what kind of cowboy hat and boots would look good on me.
I wondered - would I be able to stop my truck on icy streets without rear-ending the car ahead of me?
Would all of that winter clothing be a pain in the butt to put on and off, all winter long?
Would I have to eat like a Yankee because I was moving up north?
Did the radio stations play nothing but country?

Then there was the morbid part. Should I buy my little ones a St. Bernard in case they got lost in the snow? I had heard horror stories that had creeped me out and I certainly didn’t want my kiddos to freeze to death because they got lost on the way to the mailbox.

All of these worries have been unfounded.

But there is a lot of truth in bmiller’s amusing video, “So You Want to Move to Montana”.

The video pokes fun at what it’s like to live here. A man and a woman have a discussion in the lunch room. A man tells a woman he is moving to Montana where he will open the first Starbucks in the state. After a yee haw, the woman explains why it is a bad idea to move to Montana…he must have a horse to live in Montana, there is no electricity, and no paved roads.

He will have to use an outhouse, get chewed by bears, and possibly get eaten by the abominable snowman.

She tells him it would be hard to sell coffee and tea to people in Montana and finally convinces him that Montanans are too busy to buy coffee because if they are not:

Churning butter, plowing a field, going hunting, going fishing, making a bear skin rug, chopping wood, building a fire, building a barn, marrying a cousin, shoveling snow, shoveling manure, milking a cow, milking a goat, milking a kitty cat, restringing a banjo, making moonshine, digging for gold, killing drifters, putting junk under a porch, wrestling a dog, cooking Pioneer Woman recipes, throwing rocks at beavers, buying ammunition, riding a horse, baking bread, renting movies from 1987, forming anti-government militias, sending smoke signals, eating venison, going poop in the out-house or avoiding the abominable snowman, they are drinking whiskey by the gallon in a saloon.

LOL! The only one I really don’t get is renting movies from 1987. What is that all about? Oh, I get it. Grocery store video selections are rather limited.

And, as it turns out, we do have access to the internet and I can share this video with you.

Till next time,

Marlene

Are Glaciers Like the Circle of Poo?

2011-11-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

Well, it just goes to show you that “What Goes Around, Comes Around”.

Last summer we stopped to listen to a ranger talk at Logan Pass. The nice ranger was speaking to tourists about climate change, which I consider newspeak for global warming, and spouting the standard rhetoric about shrinking glaciers.

David listens to the ranger at Logan Pass.

Don’t get me wrong, I think rangers in the National Parks do a bang up job – why - just recently one of them got on the telephone for us, and called around to different people in the park to help us in our quest to locate the elusive hose tower.

But let’s face it – rangers are employed by the Federal Government and whatever the political agenda is at any given time, it is going to be fed to the public.

As I was saying, we stopped to listen to the ranger a minute or two before hiking out on the Highline Trail. By the look on their face, the gathering of tourists were either bored or totally absorbed in the ranger’s speech.

Right after the ranger got to the part about Glacier’s glaciers rapidly disappearing, David piped up and said, “Not anymore.”

The ranger smiled knowingly, as he must have surmised he was speaking to a local who knew something about Glacier National Park and western Montana. He then looked to the crowd and said something like - he’s talking about the very good snowpack we had this past winter. He then looked back at David and answered – yes, I suppose that could be possible (about glaciers growing and not shrinking).

Now, lo and behold, a study has been published by scientists who monitor the effects of global warming on glaciers around the world . They state that glaciers are shrinking all over, but there seems to be an exception in the Rocky Mountains.

Because….

Snow has already been piling up this season in the high country, and besides that, not all of the snow from last season has melted.

Scientists are saying that the glaciers are growing!

Well, what do ya know?

It’s kind of like the circle of poo. Click here for the video.

Till next time,

Marlene

The Old Red Barn

2011-11-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

Barns – old barns – remind us of our country’s rural past as the American spirit shines through dilapidated and weathered facades stirring our imaginations with visions of a different era; of an independent people forging their own way in a land of opportunity. continue reading

A remnant of a bountiful past in the Flathead Valley, Montana

Till next time,

Marlene

The Scents of Fall

2011-11-03T13:52:00.000-06:00

When I say “fall”: what comes to mind? The foods, the holidays, the colors of nature, and the smells. No other season’s smells are quite as delicious, heartwarming, and comforting as the scents of fall.

Red orange leaves

Autumn represents comfort. It’s a time when everything slows down and returns to its humble roots after the colorful whirlwind of summer. It’s a quiet, happy lull before the darkness of winter. In the autumn, you migrate back to the simple things in life like crafting, sewing, baking, and cooking.

The smells of autumn reflect that simplicity.

Here are some of favorite scents of fall:

The smell coming from the heater when it first turns on in the morning–When you smell the heater igniting, you know that it’s going to be a cozy fall morning.

Apple cider
–Slow cooked with slices of orange floating in the cider, ready to be poured and enjoyed while you snuggle on the couch.

Cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg
–Spices on everything; oatmeal, squash, pies, stews, and meats.

Smoke wafting from burning leaves
–This is a welcome change from the disgusting pungent smell produced by summer wildfires.

Candy corn
–Mmmm…don’t you love that buttery “fake” candy smell?

Walnuts toasting
–Hot and crunchy nuts fresh out of the oven make a comforting snack.

Pumpkin pie
–Rich and spicy. Mom’s pumpkin pie is best served cold for breakfast.

Baked pastry crust
–Provided that the crust is not burnt- an uncommon occurrence in this household.

Chicken soup
–The quintessential “sick food” that’s delicious whether you have a sore throat or not.

Chili with cornbread
–A warm bowl of spicy chili with a buttery piece of cornbread to dip into your chili.

Marshmallows
–Maybe they taste like a bouncy square of Styrofoam, but those white confections smell scrumptious atop a cup of hot chocolate.

Wet straw and hay bales
–Better sniffed than sat upon.

Melted butter with brown sugar
–Mmmmm….kind of like caramel.

Sweet potatoes
–Rich, sweet scents best enhanced with a little cinnamon.

Roasted carrots with basil and parsley
–Warm, soft carrots with flavorful herbs fresh out of the oven and ready to eat with your turkey.

Juicy turkey wafting from the oven
–Inhale the delicious smell and listen to the juice sizzling as it drips out of the turkey.

New leather
–Fresh leather like the glove worn during fall shooting season.

Coffee
–A warm mug of coffee on a chilly October morning.

What are some smells that say “Autumn” to you?

Happy Fall!

Mallory

How Do You Like Them Apples?

2011-11-01T10:19:00.000-06:00

Harvesting apples is as much a part of autumn as putting up the “storms”, or storing the lawn furniture in the garage for winter.

We’ve gotten a bountiful crop of apples this year, although we didn’t do much to help mother nature along the way. I must say, however, that David did do his share in watching over them. Right from the beginning, he took pride in those apples and took pictures of their birth last spring.

apple blossom and bee

As they continued to grow over summer, he recorded their progress.

Little green apples

And protected them from squirrels and worms, as much as he could, all the way to maturity.

Mature apples

When it was time for the pickin’ this fall, we filled up a bushel – basket full. I feel blessed for that, as they are the most crisp and delicious apples you ever want to taste.

harvest time

Now that the harvest is over, it’s time to get everything in apple-pie order for the ritual of canning that must be undertaken in order to preserve nature’s goodness..

Undoubtedly, it will take two or three days to get the job done, as first the apples must be cleaned and peeled to make applesauce and then another day to turn the applesauce into creamy apple butter.

The house will smell sweet with the scents of fall cooking and my family and I will savor the fruits of our labor all winter long.

In the meantime, we’ve had an apple a day, a sweet crisp or two, and hearty pancakes to fill us up on chilly mornings.

Best of all, was the moist and dense German Apple Cake that, in my opinion, could become as American as apple pie.

Moist and dense, oh so delicious!

Click on over to RMKK Companion.com for the "oh so delicious" recipe.

Till next time,

Marlene

Remembering an Outdoorzy Halloween

2011-10-27T14:39:00.000-06:00

The leaves have turned yellow, and the street sweeper comes by everyday to vacuum up the leaves. My winter coat is beginning to grow in, and I spend my days sleeping in front of the space heater. Halloween is a only a few days away.

The annoying human dressed me up as a witch so that she could post pictures of me on her Make Your Cat a Halloween Costume “lens”. I look ridiculous and found it quite embarrassing. Cats are not meant to be dressed up!

Don't laugh or I'll scratch your eyes out.

I remember two years ago on Halloween, when I was a free cat roaming the outdoors, I didn’t have to pose in silly costumes.

Anyway, on Halloween night I was visited by my two friends at the time. The reason they wanted to stay with me was because they were both black cats. We’ve all heard stories about black cats being sacrificed in satanic rituals on Halloween, so my friends were scared. Even though we didn’t expect anything like that to happen around here, us cats still needed to be careful.

The air was cool and crisp, with the faint scent of burning leaves riding on the wind. I could hear the sound of laughing trick or treaters, but as the night grew colder, they went home to bed. Usually I didn’t completely get along with my friends, but that night we didn’t get into any “cat fights”. We were afraid someone would hear cats yowling and come to torture us. Even one of my enemies- a mostly black cat who liked to picks fights, came into my yard and joined us.

We huddled together in silence until we realized that nothing was coming to get us. I was finally brave enough to speak. After the silence was broken, we told one another scary stories until dawn, when our inspiration ran out. We all parted ways, as our owners expected us to return home. I ran home and was welcomed into the warm house. I wish I could still hear the rustling of leaves under my paws… those were the days.

I bet this Halloween all I’m going to do is sleep all day. At least it’s warm inside!

Wessie

Geocaching - Discover the Little Gems

2011-10-12T20:05:00.000-06:00

A recent geocaching quest into Smith Valley had all of the elements of a perfect geocaching adventure.

Mallory and Eileen overlooking Smith Valley, Montana

The discovery of little gems we would have otherwise missed
The benefit of learning new things
Exercising in the great outdoors
Uncovering traditional caches with lots of trinkets
Finding a novelty geocache
Successfully finding and logging all of the caches

The first stop on our geocaching mission took us to a site located on Highway 2 West. When the GPS coordinates indicated it was time to pull over, we found ourselves in a nice spot on the side of the highway with ample room for safe parking, as well as rocky cliffs for climbing and exploring.

Till next time,

Marlene

Hey Bear!

2011-10-10T09:50:00.000-06:00

Upon hearing the story of Erin Bolster and her spirited horse Tonk charging a grizzly to save an 8 year old boy from imminent danger while on a trail ride in the Flathead National Forest near Glacier National Park, I thought of my brave little girl Eileen and our intrepid trail guide Esther.

I’m sorry to say that Eileen and Esther didn’t get invited to The Late Show with David Letterman like Erin and Tonk are scheduled to do Tuesday night, but their adventure is no less exciting.

It was the glorious summer of 2009. David, Mallory, Eileen and I were on a trail ride in Many Glacier. Eileen was riding Digger right behind our trail guide Esther – when suddenly our horses stopped cold.

Right in the middle of the trail was a determined looking bear staring us down and thumping the ground.

What were we to do?

As the scene unfolded in front of me, I wondered what would happen if the bear charged Eileen’s horse. She was in the front of the line – near the guide – closest to the bear.

Would the bear lunge at her horse? Would the horse rear up on its hind legs and throw her? Could she hold on if the bear charged? What if the horse took off running into the woods?

E at the stables

Till next time,

Marlene

What, Deer?

2011-10-10T09:49:00.000-06:00

Learning of an Idaho woman’s attack by a mule deer reminded me of a startling experience I had on a recent evening stroll.

It was after sundown, and dark.

Instead of talking about our kids or the social order, we were silent.

Block after block we walked.

About half way through our route as we stepped over the curb onto the sidewalk, a white Suburban pulled up to a stop sign.

I began daydreaming – daydreaming of a drive by shooting. Thinking of how someone could take us out – just like that – in the dark – in the blink of an eye.

“Huh,” you’re saying?

Don’t ask me what got into me. We don’t hear of drive-by’s in Kalispell; must be a leftover image of my big city life.

Anyways, I was occupying myself with my vivid imagination, when David grabbed my shoulder and said, “Look.” continue reading

Deers frequent yards for food

Till next time,

Marlene

Knitting - A Ritual of Autumn

2011-10-04T16:22:00.000-06:00

Every autumn, I get the knitting bug. Knitting is just one of those rituals like hot mugs of tea, the reintroduction of oatmeal to the breakfast table, buying sweaters at the thrift store, and slathering all food products in cinnamon. (Shhh! Don’t tell anyone that I put cinnamon on their chicken!)

Knitting is an integral part of fall.

This year, I decided that it was high time that I knit a hat. Not wanting to go out and purchase double-sided needles or struggling with the Nitwitty Knitter, I decided to revisit my old Klutz knitting book...continue reading

My hat.

Happy Knitting!

Mallory

A Great Pumpkin

2011-10-03T16:15:00.000-06:00

Grocery Store Pumpkins

Some people take their Great Pumpkin growing efforts quite seriously. So seriously they are willing to pay a colossal price for seeds.

Unless you are a pumpkin farmer or a hobbyist out to grow a super-sized pumpkin, you probably don’t have a clue what the seeds cost to grow these orange beauties.

I know I didn’t until I read about a man in Polson who grew Montana’s biggest pumpkin. His gigantic pumpkin smashed the previous state record by a whopping 111 pounds.

His is not the most gargantuan pumpkin ever grown however, as the world champion pumpkin weighed in at a massive 1,810 and ½ lbs. It was grown in Wisconsin. The winning seed from this mammoth was selling for an enormous sum – up to $2,600 for one seed.

Yep, one seed!

Till next time,

Marlene