All Good Things Come To Those That Wait

Maybe a person appreciates things a little more if they have to wait awhile to get them. I don't believe I've ever had instant gratification with anything that has been done to our house. Every step of the way to making improvements was a waiting game. I think we are pretty much done with the remodeling chapters in the story of our home. I'm grateful for that, because remodeling is such a gosh awful process! It's so wonderful when it's all done, but so horrible getting through it all. Of course, there will always be maintenance; every home owner deals with that – Or certainly should be! I suppose every neighborhood has at least one neighbor that seems to think their home is self healing. Things falling apart, paint peeling, lawn burning up, but someday the house will magically put things to right, all by itself……. :-/

I have a mile long honey-do list at our house, and thankfully my hubs is very capable of keeping things up and running around here. Thank goodness! It is nearly impossible to hire folks of different trades to repair, replace, or remodel these days. At least in our neck of the woods. Time seems to be what we battle the most. Getting stuff done seems to take us an eternity. There are still a handful of projects around the house that have been waiting 10 to 15 years to get completely finished.

Then, just for good measure, throw in a dilapidated cabin that needs everything from stem to stern done on it. I guess to be completely honest, we're probably more than halfway there, but it seems this last half is the bear we are wrestling.

I went through some old photos and found a few taken during the remodeling of our basement. Yikes! What a process that was! But it was comforting to see some before and afters, because it gives me hope that we will indeed get the cabin done at some point in the near future, fingers crossed.

 

We had to fire a crooked contractor after 2/3 of the demolition was done. Then, try as we might, could not find another contractor to finish the project. So there we were, with the whole dang project thrown right in our laps. No turning back after it had been ripped to shreds and basically gutted, short of the stairs and the load bearing wall. But, after some blood, sweat, tears, a lot of arguing, and many months, we finally got it put back together.

 

 

 

 

A nice, extra tv/family room, so nobody has to fight over what shows to watch πŸ™‚

And a dream come true for me, a nice, big, clean place to do laundry.

 

It is a bright and cheery place that is just chock-full of storage space.

 

The laundry space before was a nightmare! Really gross and scary! But I had to do laundry in the kitchen at my little house before I moved here, and that was really inconvenient. So, it was still super nice to have a room dedicated strictly to laundry, even though the room was so yucky. Now, it is so bright and nice, it's darn near a pleasure to do laundry!

 

 

And I'm happy to say it now has base trim around the whole room! One of those projects that Mr. Bruce finally found the time to get done.

The utility part of the room before you get to the laundry spot is pretty skinny. I knew it would be a wreck to have doors to try to open in that section. Before barn style doors were even all the rage, I told Bruce that is what I wanted to put in the room to make access to everything easier. The only place you could easily find barn door hardware then was at the farm and ranch supply store, so we have the real deal in that room, just like you'd find in farmer John's barn! The make really fancy, beautiful hardware for them now days. We were just a smidge too early. But I am plenty happy with what I've got!

We've been plugging away at the cabin. Bruce is up there this weekend, working away.

Here is a mini picture story of what we've gone thru in the 6 long years since we got the cabin –

When we bought it - cute as a button and loaded with problems. Many more than we had imagined.

Back when it was at least usable. No running water, and a horrendous smell throughout from the rotting timbers and moisture.

A somewhat useable kitchen once you hauled in containers of water for cooking and washing.

We knew the only solution would be to move the cabin to a new foundation. Bruce built this almost all by himself. It was a monstrous job.

The completed pier foundation and flooring system.

The beginning of gutting the cabin. It had to meet reduced weight standards before being lifted by the crane from the old foundation to the new.

Goodbye somewhat usable kitchen.

 

The massive crane getting ready.

 

Lift off.

 

And gently placed on it's new setting.

 

The old,sinking foundation.

 

 

A blank slate inside. What a big job still ahead of us.

 

The window in the middle was in the bedroom. We decided for safety sake it would be wise to have a back door, so that window became the needed door.

 

All the mess had to come back in so we wouldn't have to continue to pay for a storage unit.

 

 

The new back door in place.

 

The brand new septic system and drain field.

 

 

No floor boards in the open or enclosed porches.

 

The old, leaky bay window replaced with a big picture window. All of the Windows throughout the cabin are being replaced with new, energy efficient ones.

 

New window in the kitchen.

 

Stud walls going up for the new bathroom and bedroom.

 

Bedroom to the left, bathroom to the right. New on demand hot water tank in the bathroom side.

 

Bathroom Sheetrock.

 

Bedroom Sheetrock.

 

The new wall sure shrunk the living room and kitchen!

 

All taped, mudded, sanded, and primed.

 

 

A little chimney repair.

Winter will be staring us in the eye in nothing flat. We both put in for vacation in September to try to make a solid dent in the to-do list before the snow flies. Cross fingers!

TTFN,

Teresa πŸ™‚

 

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Old Junk I Like

I'm a penny pinching, junk collecting, lover of old things with a story.

I have dolls and toys I've kept from as far back as when I was 4 years old, even a pair of shoes I've kept from 7th grade.

Most of the things I really treasure are from family – my Mom, Grandmother, Aunt, and GREAT Grandmother. But, truthfully, my whole house is furnished and filled with other people's cast-offs. All hunted and gathered at any and all variety of sales….rummage, garage, yard, curbside, tag, auction, house, estate, moving, downsizing, flea market – whatever the name, I'm there. I frequent thrift stores, junk shops, and antique stores, always looking for something I don't already have, and at a price that can't be beat. I buy what I love, and manage to find a place to tuck it.

All my finds are used, adored, placed out to admire (even if on a rotational basis), and I can remember where most every little thing in my house came from, the story behind it, and, if not inherited or gifted to me, how much the item cost. I never discard items that still have a purpose and can yet be used.

Wasting is something that nags at me, clear to the core. The way I live certainly is not for everyone (The nation's economy would be in shambles if everyone did! All those folks that buy, buy, buy, and think nothing of discarding perfectly good to make room to buy more, are the ones that support the scroungers like me!). But it feeds my soul to have things around me that have a story, a patina, that wonderful old book smell and worn cover feel.

My Grandma always used to tell us “Waste not, want not”, and that made sense to me even as a little kid. I remember my brother and I receiving an allowance when we were about 6 and 8, and the minute he'd get his, he was hot footing it to the corner store to buy Popsicles or candy. I, faithfully, placed mine in a jar and watched it grow, because I wanted to buy a horse someday. Between chores, babysitting, and odd jobs, that little jar turned into a pretty good stack of money. I had a checking account by the time I was 13.

Other words of wisdom that have really stuck with me, I stumbled across purely by accident. I copied this from the back of a Celestial Seasonings tea box as a teenager, and have kept it with me for decades.

Numbers 5, 6, and 7 are especially significant. I made this copy pre-marriage, and pre-children, and the advice was certainly food for thought when trying to pick the right paths in life.

So, I will continue on my path of junk adoration, living beneath my means, and not worrying a wit about the loads of self help books, programs, and people touting “simplify”, and a bare minimum way of life. Because I am a penny pinching, junk collecting, lover of old things with a story.

TTFN,

Teresa πŸ™‚

 

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Well, Hello There

I thought everyone had pretty much given up on blog watching, and had made the jump to Instagram. I popped into my blog today to find an event date I couldn't remember and saw that there were 23 followers on this blog. WHAT!!!?? I was more than a smidge surprised, to say the least! I blogged for 5 years and there were 4 kind people that stopped in on occasion to visit my blabbing sessions. So, given the fact that there are some new folks willing to put up with my nonsense, I'll dig around in my photo album and see if I can toss a few things on here that might be of interest. This old iPad I use is about on it's last leg, so this resurfacing might be a short term thing.

Sweet Piper

Sassy little Finley

My little lady, Declan

My cute girlies are just as cute as ever. A source of joy every single day!

The Crazy Mountains at sunset

Some big, dramatic clouds over Mt. Baldy

More big, puffy clouds out my window at work

Enjoying my view at work still. And enjoying work, although the last week or 2 have been a bit more challenging, as it has been for everyone.

I've been lucky enough to have rescued a few more treasures at work. Plans for all to be spiffed up and used at the cabin at some point, hopefully. And even if they don't go to the cabin, I'm glad to have saved them from the landfill. If I have to sell them at a rummage sale, at least they won't have gone to waste.

This cool, old antique Morris type recliner will need a little elbow grease, but won't it be a dandy once it's cleaned up and reupholstered! To date, I've gotten a claw foot tub, a high backed enamel kitchen sink, a stained glass window, a wonderful double arched window wooden door, a large beadboard cabinet, 2 old lodge pole pine couches, a serpentine front oak dresser, and a quarter sawn oak rocking chair – antiques each and every one! And the list goes on, all stored away, waiting to be refreshed, and moved to the little mountain house, when we finally get her done. We've finally thrown up our hands in exasperation and given in to the fact that we will have to finish the cabin ourselves. We've made a little progress, but this last year has been a bugger (too much trauma & drama to even begin to go into, and that's not what his blog has ever been about), and that makes for slow going. I posted pics a while back when we first got the stud walls up. Now they are sheetrocked, taped, and mudded. But it's still a mighty mess up there, and the best we can do is steady by jerks.

West wall in the cabin bedroom

 

North wall in the cabin bedroom, where the bed will be placed

 

The newly walled off bedroom and bathroom in the cabin

The south wall in the cabin bathroom

 

Anyway, just a quick update. Thanks to all of you for taking the time to stop by! Take good care,

TTFN,

Teresa

 

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Birthday + Vaca = Fun!

I have been on vacation all week, and has it ever been nice! The weather has been pretty amazing for this time of year. My birthday was a couple of days ago, and I only remember a handful of times when it wasn't rainy and gloomy on that day. This year I woke up to sunshine and blue sky! Bruce took the week off also, so we decided to take a road trip and enjoy the day. We decided to head to Red Lodge since we haven't been there for a few years. They have some really great little shops, an antique store, and also a good junque store to hit in Big Timber, en route. We bring the poochies with us, so don't dilly dally too much with shopping, but do check out the high spots. I didn't buy a darn thing, but it is always fun to look.

It was a great day for traveling, but Summers in Montana you almost inevitably run into this at some point.

I keep a couple magazines in the truck to entertain myself while you wait 20 to 40 minutes for the pilot car to come get you. We only had to stop once this trip, which isn't too bad.

 

 

 

We had a nice meal at the convenience store, which served us well since neither of us are foodies. That way we don't have to leave the dogs in the truck, and they can share our lunch! I could give a hoot about eating in a restaurant. Being a vegetarian in cow country doesn't give you many non-beef options at the majority of cafes around here. And Bruce is mighty happy with hot dogs and chips, so we're good to go!

When we got home, I got to play with some of my birthday presents! I found this awesome Black Forest reproduction bear in an antique store a few weeks ago while trying to find a Mother's Day present for my Mom. I walked away because I'm a cheapster, but whining the whole time because I have “the wants”. He was beribboned and sitting on my kitchen cupboard when I walked into the kitchen on my birthday morning! I have a very kind husband who wears rose colored glasses when it comes to all my collections πŸ˜‰ (and also doesn't have the strangle-hold on his wallet that I have on mine!)

He is a match of sorts to the basket bear mantel clock I found several years ago at the Little Bear antique show and sale that happens twice a year in Bozeman.

I really like my bear collection, and have fun hunting for unusual ones at rummage sales and anywhere else I might travel.

My Mom and Dad got me several pots of plants from the green house for my box planters by my porch. And also this sweet little antique wind up collie for my dog collection!

It is the cutest thing! I've never seen one like it before. When you wind it up, it has the cutest swagger, and it's head also moves back and forth. I'll keep it in the cottage bedroom with the equally old mohair cat I got at a rummage sale several years ago.

It's sure been a fun week, and we're well into the swing toward summer. I'm glad to say goodbye to the winter stuff that hung on so long this year.

TTFN,

Teresa πŸ™‚

 

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Finley

Our little Miss Finley arrived here 6 weeks ago today. She's done remarkably well considering all the horrendous transitions she's had to go thru, and all the hurdles to clear to get acquainted.

Her story with us started in mid – February, at 10 p.m. at night, at 25 degrees below zero. She showed up at my son's rental house front door, crying her head off. He brought her in, thawed her out, fed her, and so it began. The roads were horrific, as we were experiencing one winter blizzard after another, so she camped with my son for about a month. Once the roads were clear enough, here they came. Within a day of my son dropping her here, she was in full blown heat. This was good and bad. At least we knew 1) she wasn't preggers, 2) we weren't going to have to risk her having surgery just to find, once opened, that she'd been spayed previously. The bad was, have you ever had to live in the same house with a cat in heat? Ooohhhh, the yowling, rolling, prowling, biting (super moody – sweet one minute, biting or scratching the next) and spraying. :-/ Patience is key, as is SCRUBBING! And I wasn't making it too easy on her to adjust, unfortunately. Not by choice, most certainly, but by necessity. Because we already loved her, the next steps were the “not fun” things a responsible pet owner is subject to doing. So, the tormenting began.

So that the dogs could get used to her, and she them, my good neighbor Eileen let me use their big metal kennel. Finley stayed in it, in the kitchen, with a soft bed, food and water, and a litter box. That way, everybody could check each other out, with safe space in between. And, she didn't spray when she was in the kennel. Just a few days later, she had to be put in a little carrier (scary), ride in the car again (scarier – she had a rough time in my son's truck on the 2 hour drive from his home to ours), with the destination being the veterinarian's clinic (scariest!). Exam, annual shots plus rabies, and broad spectrum wormer and parasiticide. Then back in the car, and hurry home! She didn't feel too hot for a few days, but snapped back. Just in time to go to a Microchipping event at the Civic Center the next weekend. Here we go again – Carrier/car/too many people and many other animals at the event/pulled and pushed, and a big gauge needle poked into her scrawny little body to place the chip/back in the carrier/back in the car/drive home. TRAUMA and scary! She forgave me the same day, bless her heart, and was sitting on my lap by evening. We had progressed to everyone being loose in the same room together (poochies and kitty…..and peoples in case refereeing was needed) and passing each other in wide swinging berths, when necessary. Nobody got in anybody else's face. Progress.

Another week passes, and it's spay day. I previously had her scheduled at the veterinary hospital, and cancelled when I found out the cost would be 6 times what the spay/neuter project (a volunteer sponsored program) pays their veterinarian per cat. And they will still take your cat in, EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE A DIME TO YOUR NAME! So as hard as it was for me to put her on that caravan of vehicles, to take my poor little kitty that had already been thru so much, with probably 15 to 20 other cats, to a vet 90 miles away (who had volunteered a day of her weekend to help these animals and their people have better lives), that is exactly what I did. For the same money, I would much rather help 5 other kitties, in addition to my own, and support this wonderful spay/neuter project that helps so many. They collected everyone at 8 a.m. in the Arby's parking lot. I waited on pins and needles all day. At 5 p.m. I picked her up at the same parking lot, and whisked her home. I was very thankful they had warned me at pick up that the effects of the anesthesia might last up to 24 hours. Which it did. That seems a tad overlong to me, but maybe it helps keep them out of pain for a bit longer. It was a rough 1st couple of days, but she is doing well now, 1 week later. She played and played yesterday. I think it is a miserable existence for them when they are in heat, so just being out from under that hormonal burden alone is probably making her feel like a new kitty!

Now, hopefully, we have all the mean, hurtful, necessities out of the way, and we can get on with the fun stuff!

Look at those toes! She has polydactyly, which means she has an extra toe on each foot! Also known as a Hemingway cat, or mitten foot.

 

Maybe I am biased, but she seems very smart to me, already knows her name when you talk to her, loves to play, and is starting to tease the dogs now that she is more comfortable all around. The Vet seemed to think, by how her teeth looked, that she is probably 1 to 1 1/2 years old. She looks so much better after just these few weeks of good nutrition and being sheltered. No food, and living outside in negative 25 degrees is not a great environment for for a skinny little short haired cat. I don't know how so many survive those conditions. Thank goodness there are animal shelters where they can be brought if people are able to catch them.

Thankfully for Finley, the Good Lord saw fit to send her our way. I'm certain, with the crazy chain of events that happened, it was meant to be! He knows we'll do our best by her, and hopefully, she'll do the same for us! And, YIPPEE!, I have a kitty again!

TTFN,

Teresa πŸ™‚

 

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Care Taking

Gosh, I am ever so errant in keeping up with just about anything these days! It's been a wild couple of months, tho, so I'll try to catch up.

 

I've been spending quite a bit of time at my folk's place. My Dad had to have surgery (a couple hundred miles away from home), so I stayed at their place while they were gone a few weeks, to tend the critters. And, of course, the weather has been horrific this winter, which didn't help matters.

This was looking out their dining room window one morning as I was getting ready to go out to do chores. It was -14 degrees F that day.

 

This was a bit before the 30+ inches of snow fell here.

 

Miss Sophie, in all her fluffy scruffiness!

I sure love all their little cuties. There were a lot of ups and downs while I was out there, tho. Probably the biggest one being when the neighbor called to warn me about the “company” they'd had. It was chasing deer thru their yard.

Not good. This is just across the pasture, not even a quarter mile from the little horses and geese. I was a wreck. I didn't even tell my folks. They had enough on their plate. I did some research which said mountain lions are most active at dawn and dusk. I just did the best I could, and each night when I did chores I left every single light in the barn on, inside and out, and turned the radio on in my Dad's shop, full volume. I'd leave it “loud and lit” for the whole night, then shut everything off during morning chores. I prayed that would be enough of a deterrent. And, just in case it wasn't, Bruce sent his shotgun out with me, strictly to shoot up in the air to scare it off, if there was a ruckus. There wasn't a lot of shut eye at that house for a few nights, but no incidents. It must have headed back deeper into the mountains, thank the Lord!!

Just a few days ago, that same neighbor took this photo. In exactly the same spot that the mountain lion was a couple of weeks prior.

I much prefer this kind of visitor!

It has been bitterly cold and snow, snow, snow. Minus 27 degrees F this morning when I got up.

 

Guess these tough Montana kids can take it! The sledding hill in town has been plenty busy.

 

The wildlife at my house isn't quite as disruptive as that at my folk's place, but it sure drives my girls to the point of distraction!

 

These poochies will be getting a big surprise in a few days……..!

My big little son moved to his new job 120 miles away this last October. It has been every bit as cold there as it is here. I got a call the other night, when the temperature was well below 0. It went something like this –

Son: “Mother, there is a cat at the front door meowing it's head off! What am I supposed to do? Ugghhh! I should have just turned my music up!

Me: “Let it in and make sure it's OK.”

Son: “I can't! I'm a renter now!”

Me: “You can for a bit. Thaw the poor thing out, give it something to eat, and tomorrow you can take it to the shelter.”

He said she is terribly skinny, and tiny; probably weighs about 3 pounds he figures. She got some bachelor cooking – noodles with shrimp and sausage, and some milk, for dinner. He's grumbled and fussed, (bet you can tell where this story is headed) but is smitten with her now, and she has to come live at the looney bin with her “grandparents”, because he is a “renter”!

We'll see how it goes. I've missed having a kitty so much, having lost my 19 year old Siamese cat a year ago. But life is also easier having less critters to cater to. At least the shelter in our town is a “no kill” shelter. So if it gets too chaotic/unmanageable, there is that option (ya, SURE). Time will tell. But you can bet I'll be flooding the feed with kitty portraits within a week or so!

We get to look forward to the daylight savings hour jump ahead this weekend, which flubs me up for a good month. But Spring is just a couple weeks away, and I'm hoping Mother Nature will have an attitude adjustment by then, and this weather will straighten around a bit. Mighty tired of this cold and snow, as is everyone else in this neck of the woods! Fussin doesn't change a thing, so acknowledging the positive side of things, the snow just adds an extra layer of pretty around here!

photo by local V. Bond

photo by local V. Bond

TTFN,

Teresa πŸ™‚

 

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Christmas Is Here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made it happen this year. The last 3 Christmases have been pretty sparse at our house because the storage room was full to the rafters with tubs of goods from the cabin. They were hauled into town and stored in there to keep them safe from mice while the cabin was under construction. It was supposed to be for one winter. Then it turned into 2. When the 3rd Christmas passed with the cabin no closer to completion, I told Mr. Bruce that was it. I was not going to sacrifice another holiday's worth of decorating because all those bajillion tubs of cabin stuff were in the way. So, this last summer, under the house into the crawl space they went.

Every flat surface, table top, cabinet, and cupboard are festooned this year. I put decorations out until I ran out of room to put them. It was a ton of work, but I was so happy unwrapping each and every little bit, and searching for just the right places to put them. And I might just leave them out clear until the end of January because it's so good to have them where I can soak up all their Christmas goodness. Ya, I guess I'm “one of those” people….. πŸ™‚

TTFN,

Teresa

 

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Indian Summer

 

Here we are in November.

Yup.

And, as usual, I'm stuck in the twilight zone or something, wondering how it's possible….. :-/

The handsome fellow above is my neighbor. A young couple moved in at the end of the block about a year ago. Now they have some chickens, ducks, and a few turkeys. I just love walking around in my yard and listening to the farm chatter.

The weather has been holding fairly steady for this time of year; just a few little snow flurries here and there. I'm not going to have a “whine fest”, but we've been stood up once again, by yet another carpenter. This is the second summer in a row, by 2 different carpenters. We are resigned to the fact that if we want the cabin usable and somewhat finished, we're going to have to buck up, and get the job done ourselves. That is unfortunate in my book, because the whole point of getting this place was to have somewhere to go to relax and have fun. We can get the job done, it's just that it takes forever this way. If we had a good contractor and crew, they could have it knocked out in 2 or 3 weeks. This way, it's just more stress for Bruce to deal with, and he gets plenty enough of that at work as it is. It also takes forever when you work full time and have to piece meal this extra job in. But, you do what you gotta do – Bruce always reminds me that the way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.

Last weekend we got some walls up, by golly! This is taken from the viewpoint of the kitchen (at the end of the “hallway to be”), looking at what will be the bedroom and bathroom. I was the measurer and saw runner, while he was the figure outer, the nailer, and the chief cusser, because there is no rhyme or reason to the log dimensions that have to be measured against. I also used 5 tubes of caulking around the new windows, and anywhere I could see sun shining through the log walls. We got all the sheet rock and blue board hauled in, thankfully before the snow. Now, with some supplies laid in, we can still work on stuff if we have to snowmachine in.

This weekend he got the wall put up that is between the bed and bath. That metal box on the wall is the “on demand” water heater, and is where the dividing wall now stands. I didn't go up with him because he stayed overnight, and it's too “roughin' it” for me, when I have the option to be home with a potty, and running water to wash my face and brush my teeth. He has to get some electrical run before we start sheet rocking, and I can't help him with that anyway. He said that with the new windows, the blown in foam insulation under the floor, and the biggest majority of the gaps and holes caulked up, it was almost too toasty inside with a fire in the woodstove. That is good news! We picked out some good waterproof vinyl plank click flooring, that is sturdy and easy to clean, for the bathroom and hallway. We have several bunks of oak flooring, that I got off Craigslist, in storage, and we'll bring that up next Summer and install it everywhere else.

Steady by jerks. At least it is some forward momentum.

When we got there last weekend, we saw these on the door first thing. Both of us thought right away “bear cub prints”! There have been a few brown/black bears sighted around the cabins this summer and fall, but no one has mentioned seeing any cubs. We were extra careful not to leave anything, inside or out, that would be tempting for them. We sure don't want them to get in any trouble. There isn't much tolerance for “problem” bears, and most of the time they kill them rather than relocate, and that makes me sad.

All in all, it was a beautiful weekend spend time at the cabin, even if it was to work!

 

And an extraordinarily beautiful evening to drive home.

 

I've been trying to get some much needed cleaning done at home before everything has to be shut up tight for winter. Got some window washing done.

Some rugs aired out.

Some furniture rearranged, trying to think ahead to make room for the Christmas tree. Squeezed the little bench into the cowboy bedroom, and it can live in there for awhile.

Got to play with (aka dust) some of my Cowboy and Indian toys and do-dads.

 

And just generally enjoying the wonderful Indian Summer we've been lucky enough to have this year.

TTFN,

Teresa πŸ™‚

 

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A Change Of Heart

I spent a good amount of time writing another ranting post (cabin/carpenter related only). I am by-passing it. There is too darn much ranting, stress, and discord going on right now about everything; everywhere you look and listen. And besides, who wants to sit down, take a few minutes to unwind, and end up pulling up a blog where the author proceeds to have a cranky, grumpfest. I will, therefore, stick with my original agenda when starting this blog, to have no trauma – no drama content, and just talk about the good stuff I have alllllll around me!

Here is a good start. It's mighty pretty out right now. It did snow today, though, and I hope that doesn't make all the leaves fall off in a hurry. I tried some new settings with my camera, and I thought this soft focus was kind of pretty. The colors on the trees are a lot more prominent on the way to the cabin than they are in town.

The quakies at the cabin were really putting on a show.

This big guy lives up in our cabin area.

I managed to get a little fall decor put out on the porch.

And, since it snowed today, I guess it wasn't any too early to include these antique skis in the mix.

My Mom has been slaving away at her new house getting the gardens whipped into shape (as well as everything else involved with this house). Even though she swore she wasn't going to subject herself to this much labor again after leaving the expansive gardens she had at the farm, she's hard at it again.

 

There was not much of anything growing in this area when they bought the house. As soon as weather permitted, she was after it with a vengeance. Pulling weeds and overgrowth, taking out rocks and tattered weed guard, adding dirt, and planting, planting, planting!

This is what it looked like when the lady they bought it from had it – lots more furniture, lots less flowers.

Next summer, after everything settles in, it will be riotous with color and greenery.

I've been trying to switch things up at my house just a little here and there as the mood strikes me.

I took down some pictures in the “cottage” bedroom,and replaced them with a bunch I haven't had up for awhile. I figure, when you have as many pictures as I do, it's wise to put forth the effort to rotate them on occasion, otherwise you miss out on all the cute, old, nostalgic goodness they have to offer. Who cares if there's a jillion new holes in the wall….. πŸ˜‰

 

 

I found this steel Indian cut out, and was smitten. Now, the only problem is that he is the same color as my walls, so I'll have to work on finding a better place to hang it.

Tomorrow is October, so soon we'll all be getting in the swing of the holidays. I look forward to getting some Halloween stuff out this year.

But remember to enjoy the beauty fall offers each and every day!

TTFN,

Teresa

 

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Really People, Trends Are Not All They’re Cracked Up To Be

I live in a phenomenal state. There is no doubt about it. But, make no mistake, it definitely is not for sissies.

People seem to be flocking to my state. It's like, all of a sudden, it's a really trendy place to be. Why now? It's been here for years, folks……what's the sudden draw? This mega influx of people has really got things turned on its ear in our little town. The tremendous growth is not being handled well. At all. The only thing I think may remedy the situation is a good old fashioned winter or two, and perhaps we'll see a lot of these newbies tuck tail and hit the trail to warmer climes. And I really hope that will be the case. Otherwise, all the little things we take for granted, the things that make a small, mountain railroad town a calm and sensible place to live, will slowly but surely be taken away. That just breaks my heart. So for now, I guess I'll just have to count my blessings, enjoy and appreciate the things we still have that are attributes to small town country living, and pray that I am long gone when/if this country turns into wall-to-wall people.

Right out my window at work. Not a dog. Not for feeding or petting. Montana is not a zoo.

Some wide, open vistas, unclogged and uncluttered by globs of housing developments, and highways criss-crossing over one another.

Actual dirt roads.

Clean water.

Quiet neighborhoods.

Unpolluted skies. Except for summer, when we are inundated with forest fire smoke.

 

Places to escape to nature. And not just at a city park.

 

 

 

A porcupine, snacking on bark high up in a tree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not that I'm thrilled to have this kind of wildlife on my front porch....

 

All manner of wildlife that I'm blessed enough to see on nearly a daily basis.

But there's the tough side, which is rough to negotiate. Bucking snow drifts for 9+ months of the year, fighting extremely icy and hard to navigate winter roads and highways, and dealing with extremely high utilities in those frigid months. Spring brings flooding of our creeks and rivers, often devastating. Summer brings hot, dry weather, and the ever present threat of forest fires. Much of which comes to fruition. Then there's the conundrum of low wages versus cost of living in this area. This is the main factor that is driving our young people away. They just plain can't afford to live here on normal, human being wages this area has to offer. Unless a person is educated to the teeth, and is lucky enough to find a fitting position that will pay what their education warrants, making your way in this part of the country is pretty darn difficult presently. There are many highly educated “burger flippers” in the Bozeman area, because there are too few job opportunities befitting the degrees of these young people. Housing costs (purchasing or renting) is through the roof. “Investors” are coming in and snapping up nearly anything under $200K, refurbishing these houses, then selling them, or using them as VRBO or Airbnb vacation rentals that go for hundreds of dollars per night to tourists that can swing that sort of accommodation. That puts many locals into the situation of renting a too expensive house, and cramming as many roommates as said house can hold, to divide the rent into a manageable amount for each dweller. And, most certainly, this out of control housing crisis, puts young couples looking to buy their first home completely out of the running, because they can't compete with these “cash-in-hand” buyers.

I can't imagine how this will all shake out. I probably dwell on it too much, but it is ever present, and getting worse by the day. When I'm stuck in an actual traffic jam at the stop lights and train crossings, it gives me too much time to ponder on the situation. I was born and raised in this town, and I guess it makes me mourn a bit for when things were so much more manageable. Which really wasn't that long ago.

Stay calm and carry on. πŸ™‚

TTFN,

Teresa

 

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