Thankful Thursday~ Exploring the Pastures

Nothing like a change of scenery, right? Land is permanent even though people may wander. 

All photos in this post were taken a few nights ago on a run through the pasture.

One thing I had been looking forward to about moving onto the family farm was exploring the pastures. Yes, we had pastures at our previous residence and I did spend some time hiking out there, but now, I have the chance to hike, run, ski, and play on our own Bangs land whenever the urge strikes.

It's not like I'd never been out there before. I'd done a few hikes with Jeff and other family members, and Jeff and I also began exploring by mountain bike last summer on some pretty fun trail rides. We've also done a bit of Nordic skiing out in the pasture this winter. It's just so great to have basically open prairie wilderness right outside your back door. People who live in towns and cities aren't so lucky as we!

Can you spot the "wildlife" in this photo?

This week for our weekly #RunLoveChallenge activity, we were to discover a new place to run. Even with some of the other exploring of the pasture I had done, I'd never actually ran out there. When I saw the challenge, I knew I had my mission! I couldn't wait to get out there and run the land. Even with patches of snow and ice, I used my YakTrax and was able to keep great traction on what ended up being a brisk hike/jog at sunset. It was right around freezing, sunny, and NO WIND-- I had to seize the opportunity to get out there!

Abby is a grinner!

All in all, it was a great run. Cow trails make excellent paths for hiking, running, and biking. Certainly not a fast-paced effort, but I relished in frequent stops to admire the scenery and interact with the dogs. One thing is for sure- I finished the run feeling inspired and excited to run the trails more and continue exploring the land. With a lifetime on the farm ahead of me, I'm sure I'll get to the point of knowing the cow trail system just as well as I know the local roads, if not better. And, thanks to Strava, I'll be able to figure out exact distances of different trails and sections.

Dogs love to explore, too!

But when I really stop and think about this land, these views, this access that I have, I feel pretty lucky. And thankful. I'm thankful that I am here and that I'm able to get out there and enjoy it. I'm thankful for the topography that creates a fun playground in the middle of an otherwise table-flat prairie landscape. I'm thankful that all of Jeff's family who've come before us have taken care of the land as well as they have, have kept it within the family, even added to it over the years, and now allowed me and Jeff to be here. It's pretty humbling when I really think about it like that.

Looking west.

I'm thankful even for the people who were on this land before it was "settled," as they've left their mark on this place as well. There are what appears to be an entire village of tepee rings on one bluff overlooking Sage Creek. What must it have been like to live here in those days? How different life is now, even though the views are the same. The creek is still here. The grasses still offer food and cover for an abundance of wildlife. And the topography has and hopefully always will support play and exploration of all kinds. It's easy to look out over the pastures and see what life could have been like in an earlier time, and to feel a responsibility for maintaining it into the future. With responsibility comes thankfulness.

As I stand on a bluff and gaze into the distance, pausing on a run or mid-afternoon ski, I'll look over the land and say a silent thankful intention to the greater power, or to sun and stars, and feel peacefulness.

The Vastness of the Sky and Land

I recently finished a book titled Breakfast With Buddha, by Roland Merullo, which is complicated to describe but is about a man who takes a road trip from NYC to North Dakota with a spiritual guru, by accident. It was a great read and I would recommend it.

When it got to the part of the journey where the protagonist and his Holy Man pal arrived in North Dakota at the man's family farm, I appreciated the description of the land and place, as it reminded me of Montana, and very much of where I live now. Everything that is described in this citation could and has happened on our farm. Here's the excerpt:

"In order to appreciate the place, you have to get out of your car and walk the fields-- say, just after the wheat has been harvested and the hay rolled into bales as tall as a man. You might come upon a prairie rattlesnake under one of those bales, and you might see a scampering cottontail or two, and you'll likely startle a covey of pheasant, partridge, or ruffled grouse in the sagebrush and wild prairie rose near the river. But mostly, if you stand quietly for a time, you'll get a sense of the vastness of the sky and of the land beneath it, a great, rich, untroubled emptiness that feeds a good percentage of the world."

We have been able to drive through a good portion of Montana and North Dakota on our way to Wisconsin for another FUE get-together, this time in Bayfield, WI, home of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. I'll post more about the conference after we get back, but it's always good to get together with our Farmers Union family. :)

At the farm right now, we left behind fields of ripening wheat and barley and hay in bales waiting to be picked up and brought to the yard. When we get back, we'll be readying the combine and the yard for harvest, but it's nice to have this time away right now, before things get crazy at home.

If you're looking for a good book, check out Breakfast With Buddha. You'll find some excellent imagery and descriptions of locales all across the US, some delightful characters and comedic moments, and you might gain deeper insight into your soul's contentment, too. Here in north-central Montana, we'll just keep on considering the vastness of sky and land and revel in our own understanding that there's more here than emptiness. This land feeds the world but also feeds the soul.

Photo by my mom, Penny Adam. 

Hunting on the HiLine 2013, Vol. 1

We got off to a late start on hunting season this year. We skipped bow season entirely and started with pheasants a few weeks ago. Jeff drew fewer tags this year and with deer numbers down anyway, that's probably OK.

As per usual, I did not put in for any tags. The animals Jeff shoots on his own are enough meat for two people (more than enough!), and I really don't care to shoot. I've never taken any hunters' safety courses and I'm not super comfortable with weapons. Most of all, I just like to hike and be outdoors, so I'm more than OK with not having any tags to fill. I'll continue to scout with Jeff and help him clean and butcher what he harvests.

This year, we've gone bird hunting with Harvey twice so far. He has really matured into a nice hunting dog in his third year. He listens to our commands much better than he ever has before and he doesn't take off so far ahead of us. He also has learned not to chase after the birds he's flushed for quite such a long distance. We are also learning how to read him better. The way he sniffs and crouches seems to be different if he's on a hun or a grouse than it is if he is scenting a pheasant. We suppose it's because the different birds leave different amounts of scent behind. I am quickly becoming convinced there is no better way to hunt than to work with your dog.

Is he pointing with his back foot raised? Or is he just stalking and I caught him in action?

Harvey brought us a hun Jeff shot. Good Boy!

Another nice point.

 Pheasants have been coming back a little bit this year, but so far we have only shot a handful of huns, or Hungarian Partridge, and one Sharptail Grouse. There are TONS of huns and grouse around.  Every time we go for a walk, it seems, Harvey is on the trail of a group of huns. Bird season lasts into January, so we should still have plenty of time to find a few pheasants. We'll continue to enjoy working with Harvey in between searching for deer. More on deer hunting in a few days as the Hunting on the HiLine 2013 series continues!

The scenery can't be beat!

Welcome to Winter in the Park

Montana is filled with so many beautiful places. Since I moved to the west I have been fortunate enough to live near several major National Parks including Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier. It's so wonderful to enjoy these beautiful open spaces (AND the beautiful open spaces which aren't a designated National Park). Each of those parks are breathtaking any time of year, but I have found that winter is the unsung surprise. 

The parks are overrun with tourists in the summer months- tourists who sometimes seem to have no fear of wild animals or respect for the land they are lucky enough to be visiting. The subject of tourists in the parks is for another blog post at another time (don't get me started!).  In the winter, however, the primary visitors to the parks are locals. It's far less crowded, and the snow cover changes everything.  The landscape is just as striking if not moreso with a snow blanket, and the fauna activity is completely changed as well. Winter is a great time to visit the parks and truly experience the solitude of long, cold months, and to see another side of the park revealed.

Last weekend, Jeff and I had the great pleasure of a weekend of relaxation at a cabin in the southern tip of Glacier National Park.  We skied and snowshoed, ate delicious food, cought up on reading and movie-watching, and spent time in the hot tub. It was thoroughly wonderful.

Here's some of the best photos from our weekend adventure.  Enjoy!

Wideness and Wonder of the World

Happy New Year, Everybody!

I hope the holidays have treated each of you as well as they treated me.

And now comes the customary reflection on the year that was, followed by a look into the year now unfolding.

2012 was a year of learning, in what will be a lifetime of learning. I learned a lot about how to live in and appreciate my Montana home, how to adapt to this lifestyle, for which I was completely unprepared, but nevertheless carried by my curiosity.  I am quite certain this will be a lifelong occupation.

We had it pretty good in 2012, in every sense.  Personal, familial, career success abounded. In light of tragedies in the latter months of the year on a national scale, the year of the Sandies: two hurricanes of very different nature, our successes, joys, and triumphs, no matter how simple, seem even more significant. A good harvest. Strengthened relationships with friends and family. Personal growth. Each give great cause to be thankful and happy.

All of this was on my mind as I literally turned the page on 2013 by flipping to the first page of my Page-A-Day calendar.  The subject of my calendar this year is "1,000 Places to See Before You Die," or, as I like to call it, "Katie's New Travel List." Jeff always teases me that there are so few places I would not travel to, if given the opportunity.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013 featured a place called Chimney Rock, located in Ghost Ranch, NM, USA.  The locale has been the subject of and inspiration for Georgia O'Keefe works. The American painter spent time in this area she was so inspired by, praising it as "the wideness and wonder of the world as I live in it."

Image source: www.lonelyplanet.com
Open landscape from the Ghost Ranch area.

O'Keefe's quote reminded me of my home on the northern Montana prairie.  The January 2 quote in my calendar by American Poet Richard Wilbur was, "The eye is pleased when nature stoops to art." How appropriate that this nugget should follow the O'Keefe statement from January 1.

We can find inspiration everywhere, all around us. Even empty spaces, Ghost Ranches, and wide open prairie can offer solace and peace. Perhaps 2013 will be a year to approach our surroundings with wonder, and appreciate all we have.

Early Spring Roundup!

Yeehaw, buckaroos! Spring is in full fling!  We have had a lot going on around here, much more than the dearth of blog posts may suggest.  Here's a compilation of blurbs and photos-- the Early Spring Roundup, if you will-- of the goings-on.

Seeding Has Begun

Using the air drill for the first time to seed yellow peas.

Jeff recently planted yellow peas on our rented farmland. Jeff had been stewing the idea of peas and other legumes around in his mind for some time and was recently encouraged by another young couple we met and got to know at the Young Ag Couples Conference back in January, and also by personal research (never stop learning, people!).  Peas help restore nitrogen and other nutrients to the soil and are a nice rotation crop.  Any time we can naturally augment the land, I am happy.  Seeding of barley and spring wheat will follow within the next few weeks.  Our winter wheat (planted last fall) is filling in nicely, as well.

Sewing Projects
Speaking of dearth of activity, my sewing corner had been feeling neglected until this past weekend.  I finished a set of curtains and completed a prom dress alteration.  For the dress, the task was to take out the zipper and convert to a lace-up corset style back.  Upcoming projects include a commissioned project to create some apron and pot-holder sets for Mothers Day gifts, some fabric collage notecards, and re-stocking SweetGrassSewing.

Prom Dress!!

A close up on the curtains.  

Two of the more recent pairs.

Calving
The last heifer calved on Easter, right as Jeff and I were preparing to sit down to our Easter Dinner.  We ate rushedly and hurried back to the corral to check on her.  When we got there, she was cleaning her newborn, TINY calf as if she were an old pro. At this point, there are less than ten cows who are still preparing to calve-- just the stragglers.  It has been a great calving season of warm weather and relatively few issues thus far.

And What About the Men?
The bulls Jeff and I purchased at the BULL AUCTION back in February were scheduled to arrive this past Tuesday evening.  They ended up arriving a little after 10:00pm.  We unloaded them and the new young bulls joined their more experienced brethren, bringing the bull count back up to six.  Soon, the time will come for them to join the cows out in the pasture and the birds and the bees shall run their course.

A recent sunset.

One Hundred Photos
Thank you to everyone who checked out my 100th post slide show.  It was a pleasure to create and share with all of you.  Many have shared comments of appreciation.  Thanks for taking a look!

One Hundred Photos for the One Hundredth Post

This is it. The one hundredth post to Prairie Ponderings MT.  Thank you to everyone who has been reading so far.  Whether you have let me know through comments on the posts, via email, on Facebook, through family members, or in person, your positive reactions and encouragement has kept me faithful to this blog. I am glad and honored to be able to provide a window into this very special life to each of you. 

To celebrate my one hundredth post, I compiled one hundred photos and created a little slide show set to music. Most of the photos were taken by me, but some were taken by Jeff, Carol, Tom, and Katie.  The "movie" lasts about ten minutes.  Go make some popcorn, grab a friend, and enjoy!  

Song Credits: 

1. To The Dream, by Southern Sun

2.  Red Clay Halo, by Gillian Welch

3.  Almost Home, by The Greencards