Weekly Review February 7-13

Time for another (belated) Weekly Review blog post!  I was out of town last weekend and this week has started off busy, so that's why we're a bit delayed here. Jeff and I packed in a lot of fun and fitness this past week, though. Read on!

Harvey takes a break from digging in soft dirt to actually look at the camera!

Fitness
The #RunLoveChallenge through Oiselle ended on Sunday, so technically outside of this weekly review, but that's ok because I met my goal on Wednesday of last week. The goal that Wendie (my partner) and I shared was building up mileage to be 10K-ready by 2/14. I ran my 10K on Wednesday, 2/10 after school! The first half was a little hilly, and in miles 4 and 5 my foot fell asleep for some reason and felt tingly... but overall, it went well. I ran it- didn't race it, but even so I did it in a decent time. Not much slower than my 10K PR, so I feel good about that.

I'm sad that the #RunLoveChallenge is over because it was a lot of fun. It provided structure to my workouts and routine and I was completely inspired and motivated by my partner, Wendie! If you read this, Wendie, THANK YOU for being awesome! (Oh, and your Valentine will be in the mail SOON!)

Dear Wendie: I *arrow-heart* you!
Image source: Oiselle facebook page.

The other big news in Fitness this past week was the ski trip that Jeff and I took with our friends from North Dakota. I'll write a bit more about it in the "Life" section. We enjoyed downhill skiing in Spring conditions at Bridger Bowl in Bozeman one day, then spent a few hours Nordic skiing at neighboring Bohart Ranch the next day. Both days I felt like I was advancing my ski abilities in both disciplines, so I feel really good about that. Most of all, it was just so fun to spend the time with Jeff, and with our good friends!

Me, Jeff, and our friend Shannon taking a quick break from Nordic skiing.
Photo credit to not-pictured Tyler.

Here's how the week broke out:
Sunday- Complete rest. (If you remember, I was driving home from the Montana Farmers Union Women's Conference, and it was the Superbowl.)
Monday- 4 mile hilly run

We ran by these bins near dusk while on our 4-mile run.

Tuesday- 30 minutes yoga
Wednesday- 6.2 mile run! #RunLoveChallenge COMPLETE!

During mile 4 of 6.2 mile run!
Looking East toward Minneota Hall, in the distance.

Thursday- 30 min (1.4 mile) walk
Friday- Downhill skiing at Bridger Bowl
Saturday- 3 mile walk on ICY trails (should have thought about that before leaving) on Peet's Hill in Bozeman, and two hours (4.1 miles) of Nordic skiing at Bohart Ranch

And here are the Year-to-Date Stats:
2016 Year to Date, through 2/13/16
Running: 69.15 miles **What's crazy is that some people run this much in a single week, and for me it's my YTD.  Wild.
Walking: 15.7 miles
Yoga: 285 min 
CC-Ski: 500 min / 14.1 miles (since I started tracking mileage on 1/17) 
Alpine Ski: 3 days


Farming
The biggest event of the week, I guess, was that we rented a manure spreader. That meant Jeff and Tom spent some time cleaning out the corrals and "hauling sunshine," as we call it, out to the farm fields to be spread. Even though it can be unpleasant to think about, the manure is dry and not as gross as one might think. It just looks like black soil, I think. It's good to do this before we start calving, which will be very soon. Plus, obviously it's good, natural fertilizer to use on our farm fields. I did not take any photos of any of this. No one did. You can use your imagination. ;)

Life
As I mentioned, the highlight of our week was the Valentine's Day weekend spent in Bozeman with our friends and family. Our friends Tyler and Shannon from ND made the drive to meet us in BZN and we really hit the town for outdoor pursuits and dining at Bozeman's finest restaurants. It was great to have them here and to show off what feels like "our town," since Jeff and I both lived there and still go there often. Katie and Josh joined us one evening, too, and of course we stopped by their place and spent some time with them and our nephew. :)

There are a lot of newer restaurants in Bozeman that we've never been to, so that was sort of the mission of the dining side of our trip-- to check out some of those. Here's a list of where we went, any of which I'd recommend! (Affiliate links)

Plonk- Cute wine bar excellent cocktails, food, and desserts. Try the GFC!
Copper Whiskey Bar and Grill - Elevated bar food, impressive beer and spirit list.
Rocking R Bar- I'd call this a "classy" college bar. It's a Bozeman establishment. And, we saw Coach Fish of the MSU Bobcat Men's Basketball team there and I spoke with him. So, that's why I added it to the list. Good happy hour specials, also.
Open Range - Really good steakhouse! And about damn time Bozeman had a great steakhouse!
Feast - Best place in town for raw oysters and seafood. Really cool, sort of swanky atmosphere. So fun! I had a White Peach Bellini that was delicious, too!
Over the Tapas - This place is the whole experience. Excellent small-plates menu, excellent wine list, excellent service. Plan to come and spend some time.

If I had to pick, I think my favorites would be Feast and Over the Tapas. All of those restaurants/bars were really great, though!

So, that's the week that was! This week is starting off great! I'm contemplating my next fitness goals and adventures, especially with #RunLoveChallenge ending. Look to read more about that in coming posts!

Photo credit: Tyler S.

Memorial Day Weekend in Review

Jeff and I had a busy Memorial Day Weekend. We went from track meet to concert to quality family time. Read on to hear more!

The weekend began with the conclusion of track season for me. Our State Meet was held in Laurel, MT this year. Competition began on Thursday evening and concluded on Saturday afternoon. The Knights were represented well by three boys and two girls, who had qualified in a total of ten events, and competed throughout the weekend. Our kids competed well all season and those that qualified for State brought their best efforts to the big show. The two seniors who competed at State definitely went out on a high note-- One scored fourth place in the Shot Put, and the other scored in four events: fifth in 200M Dash, third in Long Jump, second in 100M Dash, and State Champion Pole Vaulter.

State was fun, it always is, but I also felt sort of sad off and on throughout the weekend and the week leading up to the meet. Sad because it was another season gone and there's not much I love more than coaching.

Our team flag flies proudly at the State Track Meet. 

 From the Track Meet in Laurel, Jeff and I made the easy drive to Bozeman, where we'd be staying the rest of the weekend with his sister, her husband, and their six-month baby. We kicked off the evening by attending an Eric Church concert! My husband has been a huge Eric Church fan for many years and I like his songs quite well, too. We had general admission floor tickets for the show, but since we're old and kind of weenies, we stood toward the back where it wasn't super crammed and mosh-pit-like. We still had a great view and it was a really awesome show. I'd definitely go to an Eric Church concert again! We spent the night singing and dancing along. I didn't take any photos because I didn't even take my phone to the concert-- I just wanted to keep my phone away and enjoy the show. Going to concerts is always fun and this one was definitely worth the price of admission!

Katie and Josh live near this beautiful pasture with mountain view.
Bozeman is so perfect. I miss living there quite a bit sometimes.

Sunday was pretty rainy all day, so we spent lots of quality time indoors with Josh, Katie, and Brandon, and Jeff and I got some big-city shopping done. Jeff and I picked up some groceries while we were out and about so that we could do dinner on the grill for Katie and Josh. With their six-month baby, our nephew, they definitely have their hands full. It was nice to be able to do something helpful for them that we could all enjoy, and grilling is definitely something Jeff and I are skilled at! We had some brats and "Hot Hen" sausages, both from Redneck Sausage. They don't have a website, but they are a local, Montana company and their encased meats are super tasty! If you ever happen to see them in the store, grab a package! We also grilled potatoes in a foil packet and grilled corn on the cob, and had sliced watermelon (not grilled) on the side. Delicious! So great to enjoy a meal together. Perfect Memorial Day Weekend grilled feast!

Sunday morning, the guys went golfing with a buddy of theirs and Katie and I hung out around the house with Brandon. It was a lovely, sunny day, and we were able to take him outside for a walk in his stroller, then spent some time later on playing on a blanket in the grass. It was nice to have some quality time with him and Katie. I think the best part of the morning was when he learned what grass felt like. We rolled up part of the blanket so he could touch the grass with his hand. You could really see him processing what that feeling was like and thinking and experiencing that for the first time. Pretty cool. :)

Quality Auntie/Nephew time! 

I also snuck in a run on Sunday morning, weaving my way around some paths and streets in the neighborhood around Katie and Josh's new house. I'm getting better at run selfies, but not outstanding... Highlight of the run was seeing a big red fox pretty close-up. He moved too quick to get a photo, and again, I thought about getting out my camera but decided to just enjoy looking at him for a while instead.

All in all, a great weekend with team, friends, and family, but also a little sad for me at times. I'm always sad to say goodbye to the end of track season, sad to say goodbye to Bozeman, and sad to say goodbye to Katie, Josh, and Brandon. Such is life. Until next time!

Spring wheat right in the middle of town. You can see some of the MSU buildings in the background, and further back, the Bridger Mountains, with the "M" on that south face. So long, Bozeman!

Huffing For Stuffing Race Recap

I love a good Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. This is something that was a nice tradition with my family, before I moved to the West. Now that I'm out here, there are a lot fewer runs in general, for any time of the year, but Thanksgiving Day fun runs are catching on and getting more and more popular all the time. Yahoo!


This year, since we were in Bozeman, I participated in Huffing for Stuffing, which benefits the Gallatin Valley Food Bank. They had a goal of 5000 participants this year; Jeff and I both ran and contributed to that goal. Jeff ran the 5K and I ran the 10K.

People milling about before the start of the10K.

 This event featured a 1K kids fun run at 8:00 a.m., a 10K at 8:50, and 5K at 9:15. On the event website, they stated that they had a goal of 5000 participants. They didn't make it that far this year, but it was still the largest race either Jeff or I have done this year. For Jeff, it was his biggest race ever. They had 2763 participants in the 5K and 533 in the 10K. Also according to the website, both races were actually longer than their advertised distances. The 5K was actually 3.3 miles and the 10K was actually 6.7. More bang for your buck, I guess!

The race began and ended at the Museum of the Rockies. 

We had picked up our packets ahead of time when we rolled into town on Wednesday evening, so we didn't have to do that on race day. I have to say, that as this race has gotten bigger the race packet swag has diminished. The last time I did this race, about 5 years ago, they had actual goodies and trinkets in the packets. This time, mostly a bunch of stickers and coupons we weren't likely to use as out-of-towners. And strange fliers... The strangest was a flier for the local funeral home. Huh?! What's this in there for, anyways? In case you DIE during the race, please look up our professional interment services? What?!

The race t-shirts were pretty cool this time around, though. They are a soft, polyester blend, and I LOVE the color! My only problem with the shirts are that I ordered the wrong size, but that's my fault, not theirs. I should have ordered one size smaller. Still an awesome shirt, though, and I think I'll wear it a lot.

Ok. Now for the race itself. Jeff dropped me off in time to warm up for the 10K, then he went and tracked down some earphones so he could listen to music during the race. He got back in time to see me start. I had lined up in the 9-minute mile pace group. The race started on time, but with so many people, it took a long time for me to finally get some room to reach my actual stride and pace.

Looking over the fence from the 9-minute group starting bucket, before the race. 

 It looks like it's horribly cold in my photos, but the weather was actually pretty nice. It was about 40 degrees with minimal wind when the 10K began. I actually felt like I was just slightly overdressed at times. I wore my Moving Comfort track sweatpants, a thermal performance turtleneck from Columbia, a sparkly MSU quarterzip shirt from Under Armour, and my Team Beef jersey for the irony of promoting beef on Turkey Day. Sadly, no one commented about my beef shirt. Oh well.

 As I was saying, the beginning of the race was really crowded and I had a hard time getting into position for the first mile or so, which was also a gradual uphill climb. My first mile had me questioning my sanity-- I still had 5.7 miles to go! What was I thinking?! Once I finally hit the first mile marker after what felt like much longer than a mile, I leveled out my pace. I broke it down in my mind and thought about just one mile at a time. First mile: done. Now, let's get this next mile in faster than the first. And so on.

I took this photo looking back over my shoulder at runners silhouetted along the horizon. This was sometime in mile 2.

Even though the weather was warm, the roads we were running on were covered in a melty icy slush, so that created some tricky footing at times, too. At one point, I followed a bunch of people and ran on the sidewalk instead of the road because the sidewalk had been plowed better and was dry. I did this for about a mile, then decided I was getting too boxed into a running order and went back to the street.

You can sort of see the slush on the street in this photo.

 The course for both races were loops, with the beginning and end of each running concurrently. By close to the end of mile 4, we 10K runners found ourselves running with the 5K pack. Once again, the course was jam-packed and it was a little more difficult to jockey for space and dodge runners and walkers.  This actually made the race feel like it was going faster than it was, though, too. There was a lot to think about and look at so it made time feel like it was flying for the last few miles of my race. Eventually, I ran into Jeff along the course, too! It was so cool to see him and share a brief moment, before we each continued on at our own pace.

That's Jeff in the brown fleece!

Something else that made this race a lot of fun was that there were a lot of people cheering along the route. I snapped a blurry photo of this guy playing his banjo and singing (below) and I also saw a person in a gorilla suit giving out free high-fives. A couple houses along the route had speakers blaring music as we ran by, too. That helped the race fly by, too.

Sorry for the blurry image!
By this point in the race, I was not interested in stopping to take any photos-- so close to the finish line!

 Even though the races were both longer than an actual 5K and 10K, the race organizers were good enough to mark the exact 3.14 and 6.2 mile distances along the course, for those of us who were curious how our times would stack up. I was so glad they did this! I hit the 10K line in a time of 58.36! My new ATB in the 10K distance! It's easy to get a PR or ATB when you've only done a particular distance two times, but still awesome! The only other 10K I've done was back in September, the Kickin' Assphault 10K and Half Marathon.

Here's the breakdown of my mile splits:

Mile 0-1: 9.43.94
Mile 1-2: 9.23.59/19.07 total time
Mile 2-3: 9.11.28/28.18
Mile 3-4: 9.02.99/37.21
Mile 4-5: 10.07.15/47.28
Mile 5-6: 9.07.10/56.36
Mile 6-6.2: 2.00.22/58.36
Mile 6.2-6.7: 4.14.03/1:02.5

So, my first mile was one of my slowest, as I said, I think because of all the people and the slight uphill for the whole first mile. Then I got faster and faster for a while. Mile 4 was particularly slow because there was a very steep uphill for a little ways that really got me, and I walked for a minute or so, then it was also in that mile when we joined back with the 5K people. The rest of the race I was pretty much on pace.

Approaching the finish line!

It was so cool to see the finish line and know that I had beaten my previous 10K time, and also just to be DONE with the race felt great!

I knew Jeff wouldn't be too far behind me, so I waited near the finish line to cheer him in, and then we took a minute to catch our breath and snap a photo together. There was lots of post-race snacks-- the usual bagel pieces, orange segments, bananas, and also hot cocoa, but we opted to just get back to Katie and Josh's house and get showered so we could be ready to watch the Bears game and help prepare Thanksgiving dinner. We also knew that with so many people running the race, there was no way either of us had won any prizes or placed at all.

Since the race was chip-timed, we got our results emailed to us right away. My official chip time for the race was 1:02:31.59. I was 306 out of 533 total 10K runners, and 51 out of 97 female age 30-39 runners. I'm just happy I beat my previous 10K time when I crossed the 10K line, and finished the race. This was the longest distance I have ever run. Even when training for this event, the longest I ever did was an even six miles. It felt good, as always, to complete a race, to validate the culmination of my training and determination, and to do it with Jeff.

What's next in my racing world? Probably not a lot for a long time. I'm hoping to do a race somewhere on St. Patrick's Day, but we'll see if that works out. Otherwise, it may not be until the Icebreaker in April that I get in a race. I'm thinking pretty hard about doing a virtual race of some sort in January and/or February, just to give myself some motivation to stay in shape. There's also Shape Up Montana starting in February, which I'm sure Jeff and I will do again this year. Anyone else have any fun racing, running or fitness plans coming up? Did you do a Turkey Trot or other race over Thanksgiving? Have you ever done a Virtual Race?

Opera Run 5K

This past Saturday, I participated in the Opera Run in Bozeman. The distance options were 10 Mile Race, 5K Race Run/Walk, and 1 Mile Kids Run. I did this race last year, too, and loved it, so again this year signed up for the 5K.

The Opera Run is to support the Bozeman Intermountain Opera company to build enthusiasm and buzz for their fall show each year. This year, they are doing an upcoming performance of the H.M.S. Pinfore in Bozeman in a few weeks. I love the poster for the show:


The best thing about the race is that they have costumed performers from their company singing opera songs along the race route. I realize that opera music may not be on most people's iPod "Running Jams Playlist," but I actually really enjoy opera music and find it to be really beautiful. Plus, the lung capacity those people have is dang impressive! On top of all that, this year and last year had kinda crummy weather for the race, so it is even more impressive that they stood outside during the race events, in full costume, in the rain/mist/sleet/cold, and SANG very difficult songs for several hours! Pretty cool.

As I mentioned, the morning of the race was cool and kind of misty with rain, which is not ideal. I had some concern that they might cancel the race, but they didn't. My friend Stephanie was still with me that morning, so she and I, and Harvey, checked in to the race at about 8:45 and I began to try to warm up with Harvey.

Last year, Harvey ran this race with me and together we ran a then-personal best time. This year, Harvey was having NONE of it! In fact, the past several times Jeff or I have tried to walk or run with Harvey using his harness, he has really protested. This time was probably the worst, though. I had him hooked up with his harness, collar, and leash, and tried to walk and do some jogging with him to get both of us warmed up before the race, and he just laid down on the ground. Would. Not. Budge. I tried a couple of times to get him excited and get him going, and we just never got there.

This photo is from last year's Opera Run.
Harvey and I had a great time!

Harvey never used to have issues running on his harness and really actually seemed to enjoy doing races with me, so I've been confused and saddened by his u-turn. All he seems to want to do is get back into the car. We have really been brainstorming why he has had a change of opinion regarding the harness. The major epiphany we have had is that the past several times he has worn his harness, prior to the Opera Run, there has been either thunder or fireworks in the area, both of which he is VERY afraid of. So, we're wondering if now he is associating his harness with the loud sounds of thunder and fireworks, and possibly even projecting that, "If I wear my harness, soon there will be scary thunder and/or fireworks!" and becoming preemptively scared. We are going to try a few things to turn this behavior around, if we can, because it used to be so enjoyable for all of us to do races with Harvey, and we really don't want him to be afraid every time we put on his harness.

Anyway, back to the race.

Any time I'm not in my own bed at home, I tend to have a lot of difficulty sleeping. The night before the race was particularly bad, unfortunately, so I was extremely tired preparing to line up for the start. I had kind of thrown my normal Good/Better/Best goals out the window, and just gave myself the new goal of Under-30 minutes.

About ten minutes before the start of the race, the race staff had everyone lined up in the chute. There was maybe about 50 participants, give or take. One of the Intermountain Opera Divas lead us all in singing the Star Spangled Banner before the gun-start. This was actually a really beautiful moment and my favorite part of the whole event. Something about coming together and singing with strangers, I don't know, but it was really cool. Or maybe I was just emotional from being so sleepy and the sadness of Harvey not running with me.

About to start the race, preparing to sing the Anthem.
If you can spot me, I'm impressed! Also, can you spot the Opera Singer?
Photo courtesy of Stennie. 

The race started, and I went out not as fast as I normally do, but just started right away at my pace. I passed several people early on, then it seemed like I had sort of established a position. I was familiar with the race course, so was trying to strategize when I could speed up, or when I could conserve.

At about the half-way point of the out-and-back course, I noticed that I was actually in second place out of the female runners. This actually gave me a little burst of surprise energy, and I surged for a minute or so, then paced. About this time, two other women must have also had a similar surge and passed me. Down to 4th place. Then, in the final quarter-mile or so (uphill!), one of them was very obviously overcome by stomach cramps, and I passed her going up the hill through the woods to solidify third place. There was no catching #1 or #2, but I still surged to the finish line, content with my 3rd place finish.

Overall, this race was not what I had hoped it would be or what I thought I had been training for, in terms of my personal performance. I ended up with a time that was two minutes slower than my PR, even though I had been training with the mindset of besting my PR at this race. The weather was not a major deterrent-- I had run in worse conditions-- but I think the lack of sleep really took toll on my performance. And, I was sad that my Vizsla running buddy was in the car instead of by my side. If I had run even one minute faster, I would have won the race. That's frustrating, but really, a third place finish is still pretty good. We'll try again next year!

I didn't stick around for the door prizes and awards, since it was MSU homecoming weekend and I had other activities planned. But, I do want to point out that this race has a really awesome T-shirt and slogan:

It Ain't Over 'Til the Fit Lady Sings!
They do the same shirt design every year, but change the accent colors.
I'm a sucker for cheesy or corny race t-shirts; this one definitely fits the bill!

Amazingly, after just checking the race website, they do have the results already posted. I finished 12th out of 72 runners overall, and can confirm that I was the 3rd place female runner out of 50 women. My official time was 28:17.

Then, while reading the Oiselle Blog, I read a great and timely post about cross country racing, which in my mind is very similar to road racing. Two pieces of advice felt like they were written specifically for me, specifically because I was sort of glum about my finish in the Opera Run. They are as follows:

Forget about PR’s and time goals, just compete. 
Cross-country courses might include grass, dirt, mud, stones, roots, creeks (to run through or jump over) and so much more. Your pace for road racing will definitely be different than your pace on a cross-country course. Concentrate on competing and completing more than running a certain time.

-- Jen Bigham, Oiselle Volee runner and marathoner. 

Because courses vary so much there is no chasing of PR's. Instead it's all about running hard, pushing yourself.

--Allie Bigelow, Oiselle Volee runner and Cross Country specialist

What's next in my racing world? Probably the Run for the Roses coming up in October in Bozeman. Right now, I'm undecided if I'll do the 5K or 10K distance. We'll keep you posted! Has anyone else out there done any fun races lately? Or anything fun fitness-related?

Early Fall Roundup, 2013

As I have alluded to in previous posts, a lot has happened in September and early October. I decided it was time for a general Roundup of all the goings-on, complete with photos.  With all the photos and randomness of this post, it could get a little long. Nevertheless... Enjoy!

I also wanted everyone to know that I did adjust the comments settings for the blog, so I think it will be easier for people to leave comments if they want to.  (Be kind!)

First event in the Roundup is Fall Seeding.

Not my best photo, but Jeff is actually standing on the platform of the air drill, which is directly behind the semi trailer, while it is filling with seed.  Bad angle. 

Again this year we seeded winter wheat. Early fall precipitation was bountiful, which generally makes seeding winter wheat an easy decision.  This year, the majority of the winter wheat we seeded was planted on Tom and Carol's land, and also on some CRP Jeff and I are seeding on our leased-ground for the first time.  Already the crop has sprouted well for Tom and Carol.

Second Event in the Roundup: Travel to the Tetons

Mt. Moran as the clouds lifted on a September morning.

I met my mom in Grand Teton National Park (obviously this was before Government Shut-Down) for a few days of photography adventures and light hiking.  The fall weather was warm and beautiful.  Wildlife and colorful scenery was abundant.

The photographer and the understudy!  

September was a great time to be in the parks because the elk herd was in full rut. Our lodging for the weekend was in the cabins at Jackson Lake Lodge, which was ideal for early morning walks listening to bugling elk in the valley.  The next two photos are actually of the same elk, that I saw while driving back north through Yellowstone at the end of the weekend.

This is his "Blue Steel" expression. 

Many of you know that my husband is an avid hunter. The joke of the weekend was that yes, we did indeed "shoot" multiple elk... with our cameras! Har har har...  This bull elk was just posing for the camera, however. In the height of the summer tourist season, he would have created an insurmountable traffic jam. On this cool, drizzly fall day, however, the park was pretty empty, which allowed a more prolonged, more relaxed viewing.

Section Two Point Five of the Roundup: A Wedding
Regrettably, I took very few photos at the wedding of our friends Skyler and Deitra, which was the evening of the same day I shot those elk in Yellowstone.  I did, however, stealth this great photo of Tom and Carol dancing at the reception...


Third event in the Roundup: Chicago
We went to Chicago a few days after I was in GTNP/YNP.  We were minus my mom, but the group at one point included me, Jeff, Katie, Josh, Tom, Carol, my dad John, and my brother Ryan, and Ryan's lovely girlfriend, Marissa. We took in two Cubs vs. Braves baseball games at beautiful Wrigley Field, celebrated Tom's 60th birthday at Tommy Gun's Garage (a delightfully hokey mobster themed dinner theater event), watched the Bears beat the Steelers at a classic Chicago sports bar, visited museums and toured the city.  Somehow I managed to take zero photos.

Event Four: Bobcat Football

Jeff and I before the Gold Rush season opener.

As we have the past two seasons, we again have season tickets for Bobcat Football, which means we are travelling to Bozeman for as many home games as we can.  We made it to the first game of the season back in August (above photo), missed the second home game in September (because we were at the aforementioned wedding in Helena), and took in the third home game, Homecoming, this past Saturday (photo below). As always, it's great to reconnect with family in Bozeman, cheer on the Bobcats, and enjoy gameday atmosphere.  We have three more regular season home games this year, and hopefully home playoff game(s) to follow in December! Go Cats!

Katies love Bobcats!
Special Thanks to Tom Bangs for allowing me to borrow his vintage Bobcat hat!!! 

And now for the Odds and Ends...

Evening walks with Harvey tend to yield excellent photo ops.  This photo was taken last week of a pair of antelope engaged in what looked to my uneducated study as a courtship dance. Photo was taken on my phone and again really isn't that great, but we spent several minutes watching these two speedily chase each other around the stubblefield directly across from the house.  Harvey has learned that he can't catch antelope and so did not try to chase them, but he did watch very intently.  The parlays and retreats were like a fencing match.  It was fascinating. In this case, between a buck and a doe, the point was not a battle to the death, but I was reminded all the same of Shakespearean sword fights.  My mind narrated the scene in iambic pentameter. 

And speaking of literature...

This book, Wild, by Cheryl Strayed is one that I recently completed. It is the pass-around book du jour, I am certain, among many circles. I also hear it is to be made into a movie soon starring Reese Witherspoon. All the more reason to read it as soon as you can! It is a memoir by the author, detailing her adventures hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.  I finally read it after many recommendations by friends and family. I think the biggest compliment I can give this book is that I came to feel like Cheryl was my old friend. I found myself thinking of her as she thought of her hiking pack, Monster, like someone who was with me wherever I went.  I would think to myself, "Time to check in on Cheryl," and then devour another fifty page chunk of the book.  I was sad when the book was over and now I feel like I want to call her up as if she is one of my long lost friends, and just chat.  She really bared all in the book and it is truly a remarkable story. If you haven't yet, read it now. Or, kindly ask my sister in law and perhaps she'll pass it on to you when she's finished with the copy I received from my Mom, and the chain of strong women who preceded her in reading it.

On the docket for this afternoon is working cows. I'll try to sneak in a photo hear and there and hopefully a blog post on the event later this week. 

Football: Bringing People Together

The fall travel season has come to an end.

This past weekend was spent in Bozeman, our final football weekend of the season.  Our Bobcats lost their third-round playoff game to Sam Houston State on Friday night.  SHSU is the same team to knock the Bobcats out last year, too.

What was great about the game was the number of fans who attended-- bundling up for a football game on a cold, snowy December evening. I think it was a sell-out crowd of around 18,000 fans, which may be a play-off attendance record for MSU, but I'm not sure.

Nearing twilight over the Bridgers. 

People in Montana sure love their football.  My theory, which I may have mentioned before, is that because there really aren't many professional sports programs around this area, people follow college more closely.

I also think there is a deep level of pride among residents of this state to say they are from Montana.  Often, you hear people referring to the length of time their family has resided in this state.  For example,  my husband is a fourth-generation Montanan. Our children (someday!) will be fifth-generation Montanans.  I think part of what Montanans love about cheering on the university football programs is the chance to cheer for some of their own.  There are many Montana boys on both the Montana State and the University of Montana football teams.

There were a number of Grizzly fans at Friday's game in Bozeman, and many more who watched the game on TV. Several of my Grizzly-fan friends told me they would be cheering for the Bobcats during the game.  With U of M out of the playoffs, this year, they were just cheering for the Montana team that did make the playoffs, wishing them well.  Being the type of person who just wants everyone to get along, I loved that it felt like rival factions of Montanans came together to cheer for the Bobcats.

In the end, Sam Houston State won.  As one always does when situations do not go as hoped, I have turned to reflect on the season as a whole, which was tremendous. To the delight of my husband and in-laws, my fan-dom and allegiance to the Bobcats was greatly solidified. The football games were great, but what was also wonderful was the chance to spend time with friends and family on our many trips to Bozeman (we went down their eight times between August 28 and December 7).

It's true that it's just a game, but football also brings people together. That might be worth even more than a win or a loss in the end.

"A Weight Worth Waiting For"

In Montana, we are blessed with beautiful, inspiring landscapes and people.  One of the best showcases for both of these is the magazine Montana Quarterly, published by Big Sky Publishing, out of Bozeman. Some of the best writers and photographers in the state are routinely featured in this  award winning magazine.

Each issue of Montana Quarterly features a spotlight article on a town in Montana, usually a small town.  The issue that recently came out this fall did an article on Chester, which is one of our anchors to the Hi-Line for supplies and groceries, and also the town where I work.  The article was written by one of my favorite Montana writers, Jeff Hull.

The article is appropriately titled, "Small Town that Lives Big," and covers what might seem to be a renaissance of activity in Chester.  As a newcomer, I learned a few things I didn't know about Chester and the people who call it home, but what won me over most about the article (writing nerd that I am!) was Jeff Hull's tremendous prose.

Take this excerpt, the second paragraph of the article:

"This is a land of exquisite patience. It requires footfalls.  It can only be solved by gazing both at the horizon and at your feet, by opening your nose and breathing what the growth of wheat smells like, by crumbling the soil between your fingertips, by noticing the way the wind wants to comb your hair.  Amid such fastness, each single note of bird song acquires a weight worth waiting for.  Be still, and you will be deeply moved." 

This short paragraph puts into words how I have felt this land should be approached.  With stillness and patience.  In a sense, Hull's words are the Mission Statement for this blog.  There is more here than meets the eye.

If you see an issue of Montana Quarterly at your local newsstand, pick it up.  It is always worth the money spent.  And, if you're looking for a good book, check out Jeff Hull's book Pale Morning Done, perhaps at your local bookstore.  If not, there's always Amazon.  I recommend taking your issue of Montana Quarterly or your copy of Pale Morning Done, and heading out to an open space with a lawn chair or blanket and a good glass of wine.  As you read, take pause now and again-  "Be still, and you will be deeply moved." 

A Busy Weekend!

Our speed trip to Bozeman for the Bobcat home opener started off on Friday with some business meetings in Havre.  Since we signed the new farm lease, we had a few things to get in order before progressing to much farther with farming the new land.

First stop was FSA so Jeff could sign the necessary paperwork there.  I actually was not present at that meeting (I just dropped Jeff off and ran another errand) so I am not one hundred percent clear what he accomplished, just that he did what he needed to do.  I think just letting them know that we will be farming this land now.

Next, we visited with our insurance man.  We applied for crop insurance (on the wheat we haven't planted yet... kind of crazy, but hey I guess that's just how this all works) and got a pretty good guarantee there.

Third stop was the banker, who approved us for a loan basically of the same amount as our crop insurance guarantee.  This will be our operating money we will use to farm the new land-- buy seed, fertilizer, herbicide, etc.

Last, we visited with an accountant to see if we need to form a corporation yet or not.  At this point, our operation is pretty simple and straightforward, so we are better off not forming a corporation.  But at some point, it will be necessary.

All in all, there were no surprises anywhere, so I took that as a successful morning.  I learned a lot at each of the meetings and feel like I'm getting a better understanding of the business side of farming.  Credit is also due to Jeff and Tom for patiently explaining how things work, even after I probably ask the same questions over and over.

After we were done in Havre, we headed south to Bozeman.  Friday night, after stopping in at my old stomping grounds in the mall to see my former co-wrokers, was the Montana Brewer Association Beerfest, which was really neat.  Since I was still not feeling 100% better after being pretty sick earlier in the week, I didn't drink more than just a few sips of the beers Jeff really liked.  All the same, it was fun to see some friends I hadn't seen in a while.

Saturday, the Bobcats took the field against UC Davis.  The first home game this season, and with the stadium expansion, it was an easy sell-out and attendance record.  It was really cool to see all the fans so supportive of the team! Our season tickets are in the newly constructed end zone seating area.  It's a great place to sit to see plays develop.  I found that I liked the seats better than I anticipated.  The Bobcats won easily.

After the game, Jeff, Tom, and I left immediately and drove home while Carol stayed in Bozeman for a wedding.  I am spending today getting caught up after our short trip and watching football.  Tomorrow will be my first day at the new job!

Out of Town!

Today we are again off to the big city: Havre! We have important business meetings to attend with FSA, our insurance agent, the banker, and possibly an accountant.  All relating to the lease we recently signed. It's pretty exciting!

Then, this afternoon, we are headed to Bozeman for the MSU Bobcats home opener football game against UC-Davis!  We have season tickets this year in the *NEW* end-zone seating area.  After what feels like a long slog of hard work without too many breaks since we got back from Colorado in July, we are excited for a few days away!  I will be sure to update more on Sunday after we return!