What's More Fun?

Than doing something crazy

Like taking the family

Swimming on a very cold winter's evening?

Missoula has a very nice indoor pool and water play area. 

There's a zero depth entry pool with a slide

And splashing stuff for little kids.

Mommy, watch me!

Are you watching?

Did you see?

Luken loves to play in the shallows.  

He's beginning to learn how his body feels in water, 

that he's buoyant,

that he can hold his breath, 

blow bubbles, 

roll around and change directions.  

There's also a small open water part that's a bit deeper. 

He can't touch there.  

And there's a short "river"

The water is warm.

But if you do get chilled,

There's a hot tub to hop into. 

In addition to the features Luken enjoyed, there's a lap pool and 2 large water slides and their plunge pool.  It's all connected so you can float from one area to another without having to get out.  If you're ever in Missoula looking for something to do with the family, consider Currents.

When we finished our swim and returned to the locker rooms,

we found that some poor lassie had forgotten her boobies. 

Left them right there on the bench,

all naked and alone.  

Poor boobies. 

Luken thought they were hilarious!  

hbk

Ten to Fifteen

That's how many degrees F it is depending on where I take the reading.  It's winter, no doubt.

This picture is from about a week ago.  Today it's pretty grey.  Can you see the flock of birds in the upper right of the picture?  Cool, eh?

I think I'm so lucky to have these mountains right out my front door.  This picture was taken one day on our way to our favorite hiking spot - just a few short miles from our house.

hbk

Friday Night Down

It's Friday night.  Well, Saturday morning now.  And cold.  I'm in bed with at least one dog and 2 cats, all under the blankets with me.  There's nothing wrong.  We're safe and warm and fed.  But I'm depressed.  And I feel guilty for it.  Because we had an alright day. And a fun evening.  We went on a family "adventure" to the local swimming place.  We played and had a great time.  I had a migraine but was medicated so wasn't too miserable.  Then we came home and hung out and went to bed.  I don't know.  Maybe I'm in the dumps because I'm in bed alone.  Oh, I know, not so alone with Belle, Babette and Anika snuggled up all around me.  But Kara is sleeping apart.  She needs space and I get that.  

Coupla summers ago, I had a hysterectomy.  It damn near killed me.  It really did.  Anyway, I still have ovaries.  As far as I know, they're still functional.  Maybe I'm in the depressed phase of my cycle (or what's left of my cycle).  

Maybe it's the cold dark that has me down.  The cold can be both invigorating and sapping at the same time.  Right now, it's energy draining.  It makes my chest hurt to breath in it's cold air.  And the dark.  Although the days are getting noticeably longer, it's still dark more than it is light.  And when it's cold, I have to keep the shades drawn in order to keep the house warm.  

It could be money.  I found a fun looking automatic composter that I want to buy for Kara.  With what money?  We're beyond broke.  And it has me feeling panicky and trapped.  There is no quick fix.  Except don't spend it.  But we have debt so we have to spend.  What is it about money that is such a mind fuck?  

I'm tired.  And I have a migraine.  And I've been having spasms in the muscles in my back for weeks now.  They chase each other up and down either side of my spine.  It's like a race.  Which spasm can make me stop what I'm doing and try to bury my thumb in it first?  Sometimes the spasms feel like they're burning me.  No wonder I'm tired.  

And no wonder I'm feeling depressed.  Down.  Sad.  I really should give it up and go to bed.  Call it a day.  Give it up and give in to sleep.  Trust that tomorrow will come, first with grey light, then with pink then yellow over the mountains east of here.  And then I can begin again, in a better mood, in less pain, on a fresh page.  I hope. 

hbk

blizzard

I feel like I should write something

because, 

you know, 

I have so many "followers"

and all. 

But I don't want to. 

Because it's all cold

and snowing

and blowing

and icing

and my head hurts

and I'd rather just

sit here still with

a warm dog on my feet. 

hbk

Hey, Don't Squash Me!

The other day, friends of ours showed up to our front door

with

THIS!

Isn't it gorgeous?  

It's a Boston Marrow Squash.

An heirloom.  

Isn't it just a scene of beauty? 

Luken wanted to lift it.

The Squash (yes, I know that's a proper name) was too heavy.

Squash must have weighed in at 30 pounds.  

Beautiful as she was, it was kind of a beast to cut Squash up

into workable size pieces.  

Here you see how, when chunked up and cleaned of seeds,

Squash completely covered my kitchen counter and then some. 

And look at all her seeds!  That's a large bowl. 

I'd guess that we'll get about a quart of seeds from this giant squash. 

Some of the seeds we'll roast. 

Some we'll save.  And hopefully grow more beautiful 

Boston Marrow Squashes. 

I roasted all the pieces in the oven.  When they cooled, I scraped the orange goodness into a bowl and pureed it.  Into the freezer it goes for pancakes, pies, breads, muffins.  Yum!

hbk

Restless

The air is restless tonight. 

The flags show that the wind blows from the south. 

And it's warm. 

Fourty-three degrees an hour ago.

Thirty-three degrees now. 

With a mist of rain. 

It's the kind of night that's

unsettled. 

Dry leaves and pieces of paper 

that have been still in ditches

are pushed across the road,

making shadows that might or might not be a deer.

I don't like nights like tonight. 

It feels unsettled. 

I feel unsettled. 

My thoughts are hard to focus

but at the same time, 

they're more focused 

than I'm comfortable with. 

My thoughts,

like the shadows

go "bump" in the night.

And the wind pushes them

around and around and around

until I'm exhausted

and fall into an unsettled

restless

sleep.

hbk

Under the Slant Sun

When the sun is slant

over the mountain

into the valley,

 Where I live, 

that means it's 

Wintertime. 

It is too bright for pictures, 

eyes squint against

the glare of the sun on the snow; 

but entire bodies of

skin,

life,

beings,

 turn toward it

to feel the radiant

warmth.

This is the time of the sun

when the year is new

but bones feel old.

It's hard to remember

that under the snow,

in the cold,

there grows new

seeds

roots

life.

Shadows are long, 

long enough to have their

own stories.

Now though, 

light is stretching

longer

by seconds each day;

now long enough to 

notice the change.

And it's enough 

to be fed, 

for a few minutes,

that my spirit 

understands

And my resolve

strengthens

under the short warmth

of the slant sun. 

hbk

Somewhere . . .

Somewhere

midst 

changing beds

and 

medicating cats

and 

processing squash

and

cooking dinner

and

feeding the dogs

and 

cleaning up the spot where the cat threw up

and

feeding the cats

and

buying car insurance

and

answering the phone

and

the rest of my life,

I'm imagining

that

I'm sitting

somewhere quiet

and

enjoying a warm cuppa

sipping chocolate. 

hbk

It's a Roast!

Today, I found myself with an abundance of

veggies! 

Wonderful fresh veggies, just begging

to be eaten. 

It's a cool winter day here in western Montana.

What better to do with all these

delicious

veggies

than roast them?

Not much. 

And it's so easy!

I washed them and cut them 

into similar size pieces. 

Then I arranged them on a foil lined

baking sheet. 

I arranged them so that the colors

were displayed

artfully, artistically, 

beautifully.

From left to right

broccoli, carrots, fennel, beets, brussel sprouts, radishes.

Then drizzled the veggies with

balsamic vinegar

and EVOO.

And sprinkled them 

with sea salt.

See, looks good already!

Then I put them in the oven

at 450 degrees

for, 

well,

until they were al dente 

when jabbed at with a fork. 

Loaded up my plate and

YUM!

All caramelly.  

Is that a word?

Caramelized. 

And most delicious!  

While I was at it,

I roasted some

little sweet pumpkins too.  

These will be scraped out of their skins,

pureed, 

put in zip lock bags,

and plopped in the freezer. 

hbk

The Land of Lego Fun!

This year, 

For Christmas, 

Santa brought Luken

!!!Big Boy Legos!!!

And really, 

there's not

that much 

to say.

Except

Thank you.

hbk

Squish!

What is this stuff?  

Luken got it for Christmas. 

I thought, "Awesome, sensory kid activity, right?"

I guess we'll see. 

One box of the stuff is made with 1 litre of hot water

And makes enough squish

to fill a bread bowl.

A bread bowl?  Really?

The box said "baff".

Which I took to mean "bath".  

So I thought about it for a minute. 

I'd seen this stuff before. 

Somewhere . . .

Yup!

It's the same goop that comes in disposable diapers!

You know, how when they get wet, 

they get heavy

with some gel-like substance?

That's what this is.

So, being the type of person who thinks 

"more is better", 

I cut up a coupla diapers,

saturate them with hot tap water, 

and squeeze the gel crap into the tub.

This, of course, brings great joy!

Hours of playing commence.  

Luken plays here for at least an hour

which, for him, 

is quite a big deal. 

So much to scoop, measure and plop!

Non staining. 

Non toxic.

The stuff even stayed pretty warm

for the hour or so that 

Luken played in it. 

Although I'm not sure

I want to consider WHY it

may have stayed warm. 

It was diaper gel, after all, wasn't it?

What happens when the fun is over?

Well, turns out that regular old table salt

dissolves this stuff. 

And with a little water, 

it runs right down the drain. 

I sure hope it was okay

for our old 

septic system. 

Time will tell, eh?

In the mean time, 

be squishy!

Experience life with all your senses!

hbk

Early Winter Hike

Hiking in the winter is one of my favorite things to do. 

Not only do I have one of the best 

hiking buddies ever,

He's cute.  

He adores me. 

He holds my hand. 

He makes me snow angels . . .

But there are so many different 

ways to see things in winter. 

It's not always just grey

blah

cold

ice

frozen

mud.

Sometimes it's so stark that the color gets 

blanched out of it. 

Winter is the perfect time for hiking!

Remember, anytime you venture out,

tell someone where you're going

and when you plan to return. 

Take a minute or 2 to 

plan ahead. 

It could save your life. 

hbk

Christmas Morning Joy

On the night of Christmas Eve, 

Luken slept with us in our bed. 

This was for our own sanity 

(and safety).

When we let him get up

at such a time we were sure there would be no more sleep

(still prior to 6:00), 

he ran into the living room 

where our tree is 

and shouted, 

"Santa brought me big boy legos!

Santa brought me big boy legos!"

And, indeed, Santa had. 

About the time Luken successfully pulled the ribbon off the legos, 

he noticed the Christmas sock he'd so carefully laid out the night before. 

It had CANDY in it!  

Now, you might recall that

Luken is on the GAPS diet. 

No sugar! It's a big deal.  

Kara made him special candy out of 

honey, peanut butter and salt. 

He was so excited!

Then there was the excitement of

unwrapping the gifts.

The football that I picked out for him

at the Sharing Tree event was a hit!

"Can I kick it now?"

The monster trucks are a favorite too. 

He told me they'll be the first thing

that he takes to school to share

with his friends. 

Kara enjoyed her gifts from Luken.

(And so did Luken.)

Thanks to many kind folks, 

there were lots of cool gifts

for Luken to open.  

This "!yellow!digger!" was from the 

shoppe owner at Big Sky Toy Room.

Thank you!

Yes, I know that Christmas isn't all about opening gifts. 

But let's face it, when you're four years old, 

or when you parent a four year old,

Christmas is all about opening gifts. 

I hope yours was as fun as ours was!

hbk

More Blessed!

My family has been struggling this year.
We're outta money and nearly outta energy to figure it out.

So, in November, I signed Luken up for the local Giving Tree program.
When I picked up his things last week, there were 3 outfits, a pair of shoes, socks, a set of flannel sheets and a giant box of mega blocks.  I was blown away.  I wrapped up the things that are appropriate for him and wrapped up the rest for cousins.

The other day, Kara and I went to the local toy shoppe to try to fill in the gaps in Luken's Christmas with the last of our cash.  I carefully choose something I thought he'd love and choose something for his cousin as well.  I chose 7 dollars too much stuff.  When the owner suggested I put back the cousin's item I said, "No, that's for the cousin.  Put this back (indicating an item for my child)".  When we got home, Kara pulls a neatly wrapped box from her sack.  I asked her what it was and she told me that the shoppe owner had given it to her for our son.

And tonight, when we got home from church, there were 2 Amazon.com boxes on our front porch.  Neither Kara nor I had ordered anything from Amazon so once Luken was in bed, we peeked inside.  The boxes were full of wonderful gifts that Luken is absolutely going to LOVE!  Selected and shipped to us by a family who struggled last year.  Somebody helped them out and now they're "paying it forward".  I am completely blown away!

The lesson in this for me - Let go of control.  It's all going to work out.  I am so blessed!  It's not about the gifts.  It's about the people, many of whom I don't even know, stepping up to help some random gal and her family.

Thank you!

hbk





boxes are full of wonderful gifts that he's going to love! And they're from a family who struggled last year. Someone helped them and they're paying it forward. I am absolutely blown away! The lesson in this for me - Let go of control! It's all gonna work out. If I could be sure that it wouldn't give me a migraine, I'd cry. I am so blessed! It's not about the gifts. It's about the people, many of whom I don't even know, stepping up to help some random gal and her family. Thank you!