Posts from the ‘Weather’ category

Cool August Morning

Kind of an oxymoron, eh??? … cool August Morning…

Thankfully, that is NOT unusual in these parts…in northwest Montana!

A cold front blew through the area last Thursday evening. It was accompanied by a wonderful overnight soak of rain.

The moisture, the rising sun, the cool overnight temperatures = a beautiful, misty morning.

Also, on Thursday evening…a friend picked Huckleberries…and she brought some to me!!!

These huckleberries are truly a gift extraordinairre! This is an hour and a half of picking…not to mention the driving to the picking area and the walking/climbing to the picking spot…AND the fact that the competition for huckleberries is Grizzly Bears!

Fortunately this friend has a bear savvy European Laika … VERY close kin to Karelian Bear Dog. Still…

The berries are absolutely gorgeous. I tried to capture them several ways. Their color is spectacular and varied. The scent is intoxicating. The possiblities for their use…I am considering several…

Cooking from the garden week 6 & 7

The bounty from the farm continued week 6 with spring greens, spinach, radishes, green onions and rhubarb. I was able to share some greens and the remainder I used as I have been.

Meal salads that started with chef’s salad several weeks ago, continue:

BLT, hold the bread!

A southwestern take with a dressing made of mayo, greek yogurt and salsa…more salsa on top…Ole!!!

Week 7 added broccoli to the haul. I had plans for a fresh broccoli-bacon-cranberry salad but ended up steaming the broccoli to have with some cream of chicken over rice.

Not from the garden but I’ve been wanting to share Karin of Paper Route Design’s Granola. I make 1/4 of her recipe and mix it with a rice cereal I buy in bulk at the natural food store. I have never been a granola fan, but Karin’s recipe sounded so good. As she states on her post, it makes the house smell like the inside of an oatmeal cookie :)!

I scoop the granola – rice cereal mix, add some chopped apple and have a great start to my day or a nice bedtime treat.

…so… week 6 & 7…and there will be no week 8.

A minor weather disaster occured here this last Tuesday morning.

That is hail. And that hail is already partially melted.

We had a strong thunderstorm with 1 – 1 1/2 inch hail and then a torrential downpour.

It did a number on the vegetation, including the gardens at Swallow Crest Farm :(

I received an email this afternoon that this week’s distribution would not happen and it sounds like next week’s is questionable as well… Mother Nature. I am sad for the farm folk as things were going so well and they are now having to re-plant and repair.

Here at my house…the sun has re-appeared. There is a lot of yard and woods cleanup to be done but…

…one must enjoy the sun and fresh air!

Happy Day.

Happy Solstice (yesterday)!

The skunk??? No, just Bear in the tall grass…a bit ironic that his tail looks very skunk-like.

But we stayed clear of Skunk-ville today: work, a run to Whitefish, more work and a beautiful couple of hours outside this evening.

Bear had a much better day today and recovered his smile and his usual sang froid!

It was a glorious first day of Summer in Northwest Montana! Hope it was wherever you are – Happy Solstice (yesterday evening) and may your Summer be beautiful.

It was a sun, sun, sun, sun, sun-shiney day

Yesterday (Wednesday), late afternoon, although overcast, it was dry at my house. I took Bear and went to Wayfarer’s for a bit of variety in the week. It was blustery and drizzly by the lake but we had a good walk, anyway.

I hadn’t taken the camera as it was gray and dismal. But coming home…the road home…new snow down to about 5K on the mountains contrasting with the super-green of the fields…I was sorry I didn’t have the camera.

This morning, early at 6:30, the sky looked clear and a little pink showed above the mountains as the sun started to clear them. I called to Bear to load up and we went down the road to see what we could see.

Oh…it was beautiful. It was 37F this morning – beautifully crisp and cool but the ground was warm and as the sun rose, so did the mist.

The Road Home on an early June morning with fresh snow on the mountains and mist over the field.

Looking southeast…

The moon headed towards moonset.

…and Bob: on a sun, sun, sun, sun, sun-shiney day!

***yes, I mis-remembered the lyrics from “I can see clearly now”…but my version fit the morning so I’m leaving them :)!

Montana in June

Monday afternoon my S.A.M.E. radio alarm went off and the monotone voice of the NOAA meteorologist read the forecast which included a severe thunderstorm watch. Although the scene in the photo looks benign, the air was unusually heavy with humidity and it was very still and quiet.

Bear was on afternoon rounds, I was in my chair…I checked the weather map.

Bear laughed, I laughed…we laugh at the weather forecast and enjoyed the afternoon.

Bob is the family pessimist…

He wasn’t so sure we should be laughing…

It darkened, thunder rumbled, a little rain fell but none of the storms came close.

But yesterday afternoon, Tuesday – it rained and it has been raining since. And it is supposed to rain through tomorrow afternoon. Montana in June.

Only 3 more months until Fall

Here at “Heat wimps R us”….some of “us” have already had enough of hot weather!

Yes, I think we’ve had 5 days in the 80’s or at least the near 80’s and we (Bear and I!) are ready for Fall.

Mr. “I love to be outside keeping an eye on my domain”…

…maybe tomorrow…in the morning…when it is cool!

Meanwhile, a nap inside on the nice, cool, kitchen floor.

That leaves Bob on duty…

Stepping up. Watch Cat…only 3 more months until Fall (actually 4 months, but by mid-August I figure we are on the downhill run and I AM an optomist!)