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In the Winter Now

Jem Croucher, Poet’s Corner introduced to me today a new poetry form. Her blog beautifully described “In the Autumn Now” in an aaab rhyme scheme.

For those of you unfamiliar with those poetic descriptors, the aaab scheme means the first three lines all rhyme, but not the 4th one.

The fun thing about her last line is that it was the poem’s title and it was repeated in each of the four stanzas. Brilliantly done! (There are probably other rules to this rhyme form, like 7 or 8 syllables to create rhythm on each line… but I’m not sure I can do that! So will just go with the rhyme scheme and number of lines for now.)

I’m going to try my hand at this poetry form, but as you know if you saw my post yesterday, we – here in Ennis, MT – are “In the Winter Now.” Alas, our fall colors are buried under several inches of snow. Beautiful, but – oh my – too early for me!

October snow fell softly

Through the screen of my bathroom window –
Look up – can you see the icicles?

October snow – unseasonable
Way too early – unreasonable
Return of colors – unfeasible
In the Winter now

Lack of wind – delightful
Snow in clusters – rightful
Blue sky returning – eyeful
In the Winter now

Howling winds return – disappointing
Wind chimes play – enjoying
Returning storm looms – annoying
In the Winter now

Tasting falling snowflakes – purely
Venturing out in the snow – securely
Getting skis ready – prematurely
In the Winter now

Wanna try your hand at this poetic form?
Go ahead … give it your best shot.
It’s fun!

For a really good example of the form,
check out Jem’s
In the autumn now
It’s delightful!

Send your poem to Jem Croucher
She’d be delighted to hear from you.

Speaking of fun –
Look at that photo of us –
100 years ago –
Ready for winter!

Hah!
See ya later.
Stay warm.
Love, JanBeek

Category:

learning, Love, Montana, nature, photography, Poetry, trees

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Glorious Montana Colors

Today is National Smile Day.
Our glorious Montana Colors
will sure give you something to smile about!

We took a drive from Ennis
up into the Tobacco Root Range
up North MeadowCreek
above McAllister
where our friends,
Mary & Paul Carlson live.

The colors along the roadside
were so glorious!
I got out to take this picture
instead of looking though
our cracked windshield
like I did on that first photo.

My blogging friend, Dwight Roth, took this.
His colors are as spectacular as ours.
Are the colors changing where you are?

We visited Paul and Mary at their house.
We met a new friend as we were
traveling up to Paul’s little cabin.
Paul & Mary invited him
to come on home with them.

This piece of old mining equipment
was found abandoned along the roadway
leading up to their house.
A friend helped them haul it into their backyard

The mining apparatus
fits perfectly with the remains of
this old mining shed
(that’s also in their backyard).
It was probably built in the late 1800’s.

The views from their backyard
are breathtaking!
They just completed this fence
last week – attempting to keep the deer
out of their greenhouse and flowerbeds.

Mary inherited this old barn
when she bought this mountain property
Paul uses it now as his “Man Cave.”
It’s where he creates magical things
with all his woodworking equipment.

Paul took Bob & me up to see
the property he dreamed about
as a kid… and the cabin he and
nine of his friends built there
-around 2005 –
(same year we came to MT).

Many happy memories are tucked in here!

The road leading to/from the cabin
is lined with wonderful aspen
that shine their gold this time of the year.

Some farmers raise cattle in this high country.

Autumn is a wonderful season
It brings with it colors galore
I love the fall leaves and scenery
I hope you can get out and explore

Do get out before all the leaves drop.
Pick up your pup and take a hike.
Tell me about your choices:
Which of the scenes did you particularly like?

See ya later, my friends.
Bee well!
Love,
JanBeek

Category:

God, Gratitude, Love, Montana, mountains, nature, pets, Poetry, Travel, trees

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Welcome Awesome October!

I love October
When the leaves change their color.
Hold off the freeze, please!

Too soon icicles –
Winter comes too early here.
Hold off for awhile!

God bless the colors
That brighten our autumn days
Now, please stick around!

Happy October, my friends.
I send my love & hugs your way.

Thanks for visiting JanBeek today.
Have a lovely October first!

Category:

blessings, Haiku, Love, Montana, nature, Poetry, trees, writing

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Fall into Autumn

Fall
Summer’s gone
Experiencing cooler weather
Enjoying the changing colors
Autumn

(Elfchen are poems with 11 words
The pattern is 1+2+3+4+1)
I enjoy reading Richard’s at Big Sky Buckeye

Changes
Green – Orange
Temperatures affect them
They decorate the branches
Leaves

Gifts
From friends
Adorn my table
A beautifully painted gourd
Sunflowers

Quotes
Inspire me
Pass them along
Let them inspire others
Enjoy

Colors
God’s creations
Painted for us
Joys of the Season
Autumn

Hues
Of pink
Blend with green
Change their hues daily
Fall

Workers
Man’s creations
Ease our load
Make our farming easier
Tractors

Problems
Trouble us
Turn to God
He will comfort you
Peace

Peace my friends!
Have a love-filled week!

I will fall into autumn…
But no more falls, broken fingers or skulls…
Bee safe, my friends!

See ya tomorrow (maybe)- hah!
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, contentment, Faith, flowers, God, Love, nature, Poetry, trees

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Walking in Sierre

Today Denise (our son-in-law’s mom) took Bob & me on a walk in Sierre. Thirty years ago, when we first started coming here (when our first grandson was born), we would have jogged up the trails into the vineyards. Today we were content to take a leisurely walk on a relatively flatter terrain.

We walked up to the hospital where Mike was born. His grandpa was the chief executive officer there. André had been a chef in its kitchen before he came to California and married our daughter.

The grounds around the hospital are beautiful. Lots of trees and flowers and park benches where we could sit and take a break.

The leaves on the acacia trees are starting to show signs that autumn is coming. The grapevines are laden with fruit ready to be harvested.

Look at the base of this grapevine. It’s over 100 years old! All gnarled and twisted behind the protective wire fence.

I thought of Derrick & Jackie Knight and their beautiful garden when I saw these gorgeous rose bushes.

Beyond this water trough, with its constantly flowing fresh drinks for the cattle that used to come through this town, you can see the concrete sides of the round church. We went to mass there this morning with Denise. This morning I posted the sounds of the bells for you. Did you catch that blog?

I pray you had a beautiful Sunday, too, my friends. Tonight we’re going up to De’s chalet in Vissoie. We’ll be there all next week. Wait til you see it!

Oh, and tomorrow is DeAna’s birthday! Our DollyWolly will be 55. Can you believe it?

Our arthritic hands show our age – even if our active spirits deny it! Stay young in spirit, my friends. Thank God every day for the gift of another opportunity to live and play, breathe, and enjoy life. Live in the now! And stay vibrant!!

See ya tomorrow (God willing). Love, JanBeek

Category:

Aging Gracefully, blessings, children, Family, flowers, God, Gratitude, happiness, Love, nature, relationships, Travel, trees

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Wonderful Weekend

Enjoying Sunday
Remembering Saturday
And Fish on Friday

Sunday began
with this prayer-filled
good morning photo
from my friend Lisa
in North Carolina

After church,
Sunday continues
with our TazE
needing attention
and us
trying to
just relax!

Saturday memories
include a wonderful evening
shared with Bob
and dozens of friends
at the Madison Valley Ranchland’s
annual “Noxious Weed Dinner and Auction.”

Check out
Bonny Morningstar Guzzo
on Facebook
to see her wonderful pictures
of that highly successful event.

Friday memories
include our walk
along the Madison River
in Lion’s Club Park
where this beautiful
painted fish sculpture
greets us.

The painting on the fish inspires the Haiku poet in me.

“Father, please teach me
I want to learn how to fish
To fish like you, Dad“

Back home, the clouds keep the day cooler
as the sun plays peek-a-boo
The trees provide welcomed shade
And the birds serenade you

The breeze causes the wind chimes
To sing a lullaby
Reminding me of my sis, Sally
She’d love this place as much as I

The deer come quietly to rest
Beneath the shade of verdant trees
They promise not to nibble
But who can trust deer like these?

Time to think about a meal
Don’t know what I’d like to cook
Need to go check out the fridge
Maybe left-overs -Have a look!

Mmmm… I can see shrimp
Waiting for the coconut
Time to make the sauce

Hope all is well with you.
Thanks for sharing
my weekend memories
vicariously with me.

Now it is your turn
What are your best memories
Of this great weekend?

Sending love your way…
Hugs,
JanBeek

Category:

Animals, blessings, Family, Fishing, food, happiness, Love, Memories, Montana, Poetry, trees

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Come Visit Us in Montana!

If I had space in my WordPress photo gallery, I would show you a series of photos of this place in Ennis, Montana where we are blessed to live. BUT, to add more photos, I have to erase older photos. The program tells me I am at 100% capacity! How does Derrick Knight manage to post so many beautiful photos of his garden on https://derrickjknight.com every day without running out of space? I need to discover his secret!

Meantime, what I did was put the photos on a Facebook post – and give you the link here so you can go there to see where we are inviting you to come visit. I hope you will/can check it out!

https://www.facebook.com/jan.beekman/

I’ll put one here as a teaser – hoping you’ll click that FB link and go see more, OK?

Bob & Jan love company… and now that my hand is better and I can be a hostess again, I hope you will consider a trip! We are just one hour from Yellowstone – and the entrance (nearest us) to the park is open now – and the road that takes you to Old Faithful is open, too… following those terrible floods a few weeks ago. Beekman B&B is full July 2-6, but after that, July is clear on our calendar!!

Our kitchen windows with the gorgeous lilac bush

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. It’s our daughter’s 35th anniversary this weekend… DeDe, the one who lives in Switzerland. We look forward to visiting them in the end of August.

Meantime, my devotional today in “Mornings with Jesus” encouraged me to “Find a quiet place. Write down any problems that surround you. Thank Jesus for being bigger than those problems.” It is not hard to find a quiet place here… and it is easy to live gratefully for daily healing of my broken finger and hurting hand, and to thank God for the beauty of nature and the peacefulness of this place. Come see for yourself!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek

Tell me what you’re doing this lovely weekend…
See ya Monday (I’m taking a day off tomorrow)
Hugs,
Jan Beekman

Category:

blessings, blogging, Fishing, flowers, friendship, Gratitude, happiness, Love, Montana, mountains, peace, Travel, trees

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Choose a Tree

If you could “Bee a Tree” what would you bee?

Check out my answer on the Bloganuary site at
https://bloganuary.wordpress.com/2022/01/30/bee-a-tree/

If you have known me a while, this answer will bee a no-brainer!

Thanks for buzzing in to visit JanBeek today.
I will post my sermon notes later today.
I hope you had a lovely Sunday morning.
We did!

It was so good to bee back with our Ennis church family!

What tree would you bee??

Here’s a darling children’s picture book about trees.
Do you have a child nearby
(like maybe inside you)
who would enjoy learning some basics
about trees?

Category:

blogging, flowers, Love, trees, writing

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Embrace that Big Blue Sky!

We went up, up, up
into the Tobacco Root Mountains yesterday
(west of McAllister, Montana)
and we touched the sky
on the top of the world!

The view looking east to Madison Valley was spectacular.

The view looking north was amazing, too.
The camera doesn’t do it justice!

The ride up on our ATVs became bumpy and rocky, but it was fun!
Through the trees, across the mountainsides, and up to the top.
We could not have asked for a prettier day.
After weeks of smoke-filled skies, this was a relief!

The sky looked threatening at the start of our ride.

But the clouds were less threatening as we continued.

Always fun to see cattle roaming free along the trail.

As we climbed up into the trees, the trail became more narrow and rockier.

Come ride with us!! Hang on tight!!

I was glad I wore a jacket, a scarf and a hat.
The wind came up and it was quite chilly
the higher we went.

CG and Caroline arranged today’s outing.
Their delightful friends, Mike & Jane Dodson,
were visiting from VA.

Tucked behind, check out Charlie, the Jack Russell.
There were 9 guys –
eight of whom drove the ATVs…

Here are Mike & Jane with 6 of the ATVs…
Our “Lucille” is the redhead at the front of the line –
on whom we have a “Ball!”

I want you to experience this mountain-top,
blue-sky, perfect day’s vista with me!

Two of the guys and their gals left from the first look-out
and didn’t travel to this very top with us…
But here are seven of the troopers
with TazE being babied by Bob!

Here are Ron & Linda,
two who needed to head back down
from Lookout #1.
It was good to see them!

We took at lunch break
at the mountaintop
before heading back down.

Took the same trail back down
that brought us up to the top.
It’s actually easier going down!

Thanks for joining us today.

Maybe one of these days,
you can come to Montana
and join us for a ride.
What do you think?

Category:

friendship, Gratitude, Love, Montana, mountains, nature, Travel, trees

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Embrace Montana Vistas

Here is the Madison Valley and Range
as seen from the Gravelly Range

We went on an adventure today into the Gravelly Range
with our friend, Julie, and her dog, Zeke.
Come enjoy the Montana Vistas with us!

The Gravelly Range is just south-west of Ennis. We were looking for wildflowers. This is the time of year when they usually are prolific. However, it has been a relatively dry spring and summer so far, so the flowers were not as colorful or plentiful as usual.

This field of flowers is irrigated –
so they’re not the “wildflowers”
we were looking for.

See that line up the mountain?
That’s where we are headed.

We drove the pick-up with trailer
to the base of our destination
and took the ATV up from there.

Julie & Zeke rode in the back.
TazE sat in my lap.
Bob’s the driver.

TazE enjoyed the views.
That mountain above TazE’s head
is called the Sphinx.

The clouds made the sky
so beautiful and interesting today,
but they also threatened rain.
Fortunately we had about an inch
or two of rain last night,
so it settled the dust.
And it held off until
we were headed back
home this afternoon.

On the way up, we saw a lot more cattle than usual.
Definitely more cattle than wildflowers!

Zeke was quite interested in the beauty
of the Madison Valley vistas.

This is Caroline’s tree!
We always think of her when we see it.
Caroline loves tree skeletons!

As we climbed, the clouds moved
out from the Madison Range
and began to cover the valley.

This is a purple sticky wild geranium. Julie has an app on her iPhone that allows her to take a picture of a flower and then have the phone tell her the name of that flower. What a cool app! “Picture This” is the name I think. I need to check it out.