When troubles come… Where do you go to be lifted up? I go into the mountains. There God fills my cup.
Elaine Hundley Photography
I was not able to go with Bob these last couple of weeks when he took our ATV up into the Tobacco Root Mountains and the Gravelly Range.
If you’ve been following my blog, you know I had surgery to repair a hernia a couple of weeks ago. The doctor said those bumpy rides on our four-wheeler, “Lucille” (she’s red-headed and she is a BALL), were off-limits.
So, Bob took our friend, Julie, last week… and this week he took our friend, Elaine. Both of them loved it. I’m so glad he shares the fun with friends who appreciate the beauty of Montana’s mountains as much as we do!
Elaine Hundley and Bob Beekman
Elaine is the wife of our minister and friend, Steve Hundley. I share my poetic sermon notes each Sunday with you. It’s Steve who preaches those captivating messages! Elaine took the pictures I am sharing with you today. She has some real beauts here!!
I told her she needs to enlarge and frame this one!!
You can see the tip of Lucille’s tire here … obviously Bob stopped many times along the trail so Elaine could get out and snap a shot of the view. As you can see, they traveled up above the tree line into the snow. It’s mid-July and Montana’s mountain tops still have snow. Bundle up! Yup, it was cold up there while I was enjoying a 75 degree day down in the Madison Valley.
Elaine must have had more than an iPhone 6 for this shot. You think?
I thought that was “Lucille” but look again… it doesn’t have a red head!
The camera doesn’t do justice to the fields of wild flowers. But, you get the idea.
No camera lens is as miraculous as the lens God gives each of us with our eyes… especially if we have 20/20 vision. But, a skilled photographer can come close with a good camera. I love the composition of this one with the rocks on rock in the foreground, don’t you?
In case you were wondering about their altitude…
Thank you, Elaine, for sharing with us your day with Bob and God! We are so blessed to be friends with one another and with nature and with our Creator! I love you! <3
And thank you, my WordPress friends, for going with us into the mountains where we can all feel closer to God. There, He fills my cup! Did He fill yours, too?
Be at peace. God bless you!
I added the words below here to my blog from a couple days ago where I had a video posted of Susan Boyle singing this song… but some folks weren’t able to access the video.
I leave you today with this wonderful Peace Prayer by St. Francis of Assisi. Make Me a Channel of Your Peace…
Thank you, Lord, for your great creation. I find such peace in Your mountains!
I hope you did, too, my friends. See ya tomorrow. JanBeek
We had a wonderful outdoor church service today. God blessed us with the most perfect weather imaginable!
See the Rocky Mountains out beyond Bob’s nose? Only a few scattered puffy clouds over there.
Bob is in charge of “Buildings and Grounds” at our church. He has spent hours weed-eating under those threes! And we have a team of volunteers who mow the lawns. Looks lovely, huh?
Our service was out on that lawn. I didn’t take any photos til afterward when all the chairs were put away and only one couple remained talking with Bob.
Rev. Steve Hundley delivered a great sermon titled “”Peter Pride and Dana Defeated.” He assured us the names were not gender specific! If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know I take sermon notes in poetry as I listen.
I changed the title to “The story of Our Freedom.”
The story of our freedom Is written on the Statue of Liberty. We believe in that freedom, but It can make captives of you and me.
We can be captivated by Our need to be totally free. Our need to be gregarious Causes us to share with you our glee.
We strive (like Peter Pride) to be At the top – – – the Number One. But sometimes Peter Pride’s goals Get in the way of following God’s Son.
We resist the role of Dana Defeated, Who is a critic of her own. She usually feels unworthy And tries so hard she’s tired to the bone.
Jesus says to give Him your burdens. He’ll put His yoke upon you And help you carry your troubles. Let Him take a pound or two.
Peter Pride sees life through self-effort. He keeps religion in its place. He knows Jesus has a point, But you gotta work to stay in the race.
Peter doesn’t believe burdens are light. He sees Dana Defeated as sad. She walks humbly and asks for help, But seldom looks contented or glad.
Peter found the glory of being on top Often is overshadowed by loss. Way up there, it’s sometimes lonely; No one to help carry our cross.
Jesus said, “Come to Me, I’ll give you rest.” He’s talking to Dana and Peter, both. Life should not be a journey to death. Instead, accept Jesus’ helpful yokes.
Jesus will provide the yoke for us. He’ll join with us and help us carry Our burdens of pride or defeat. Let Him lift you – and be merry!
Amen!
Have a Wonderful Sunday, my friends. See ya tomorrow. Love ya, JanBeek
If you lived in Montana – west across the valley from the Madison Range – with two mountain ranges north and south of you filled with trails for All Terrain Vehicles, and you had an ATV, how would you spend Father’s Day?
Yup, you guessed it! We went on “Lucille” (our red-headed ATV who is a BALL) up into the Tobacco Root Range to the top of the world this afternoon.
Come and take a ride with us… way up to the snow area where snow drifts caused us to have to turn around and head back down. We’ll start up there and head down
Below that snowy area, there is a gorgeous lookout where we can view the valley below. I took a few photos from that lookout to share with you.
Looking east to the Madison Valley and the Madison Range. See our Boston, TazE, by the road there?Looking west from the LookoutThe fields were covered with beautiful little flowers.On our way up to tha lookout, we stopped at Sureshot Lake.TazE appreciated the break after the bumpy ride down. You can see the lake below to the right of the window.
We saw twice as many campers in the camping areas this trip compared to any other year, and we’ve been traveling this route for nearly ten years. During this COVID-19 pandemic, word has gotten out. Montana is a great Big Sky place… with lots of fresh air, space, and unbelievable beauty.
And this “crowd” of campers is nothing compared to what you’d experience in California or Florida or other vacation destinations!
Time to head toward home…. there’s our Madison Valley down there.These are called “Jack Fences.” They don’t have to be buried, so they survive the snow and freezing temperatures longer than posts that need to be pounded in.Tucked back into these mountains are some really beautiful horse farms.TazE knows when we get close to home. She gets up and goes on high alert!We’re happy you joined us for our Father’s Day adventure.Back to the pickup near this lily pond in McAllister. Time to put “Lucille” on the trailer and go home for a barbecue.
Here’s lookin’ at you! Happy Father’s Day, my friends.
Til next time – Happy Trails to You! See ya tomorrow. Love, JanBeek
We spent the day in Bozeman, Montana. Bob & I had much-overdue dental appointments to get our teeth cleaned. Then we did our grocery shopping, bought a tree to plant at our church where a tree died and needs to be replaced, and then had “linner” (lunch + dinner) before heading home.
It was a rainy drive home.
Got rainier as time went by.
When we arrived home, our neighborhood antelope were there to greet us.
Look carefully – there’s mama antelope followed by her two babies in the field.
Yesterday I watched them out my living room window.
A second antelope joined them. She has little ones, too, but they weren’t with her. Probably hiding in the grasses – not too far off.
It is such fun to watch them.
A Fun Place to Live
In the picture below, our house is behind those trees… a wonderland for birds – and a haven for us. That field on the left is where the antelope were today.
Isn’t it fun to live in a neighborhood where the deer and the antelope play? You know that song, right? Home on the Range, a favorite from my childhood.
“Home, home on the range, Where the deer and the antelope play, Where seldom is heard a discouraging word, And the skies are not cloudy all day.”
Sing it with Roy and me:
Do You Remember Roy Rogers?
You may be too young to remember this cowboy – or you’re living in a different part of the world. Roy Rogers was my favorite when I was a child back in the 1940s. As a real treat, my sister and I would go to the Saturday matinee at the little theater in Newman, California. I loved Roy Rogers even more than the Micky Mouse, Bugs Bunny, and Popeye cartoons! That’s really saying something.
Roy’s sidekick was Trigger, his beautiful palomino. His wife, Dale Evans, was his singing partner. As a child, I was sure Dale Evans would grow old and die – but Roy Rogers would never grow old. And after is wife died, then I intended to marry him!
Did you dress up and pretend to be a princess when you were a child? Or did you imagine yourself to be Roy Rogers’ wife and ride away into the wild blue yonder?
Well, if you dreamed of being a princess on a horse riding off into the wild, blue yonder, come to Montana. This is the place where such dreams come true!
Join us where the deer and the antelope play!
Hope you had a good day. Tell me about it... or share a childhood fantasy.
Two For Sale signs went up in our “hood” this week.
That Mercer sign is for a 7 acre parcel right next door to us.
We could be next-door neighbors!
The ERA sign is at the end of the cul-de-sac – just a stone’s throw away – down where you see the telephone poles in the first photo.
See, there’s our house up there – just beyond the sign. Aren’t you looking for wide open spaces and Big Sky, fresh air and a friendly, cheerful, inclusive neighborhood? Here we are!! You can build your dream house right here.
This beautiful home with the best neighbors imaginable, Rex and Penny, could be your neighbors … besides us, the Beekmans with the robin babies in our back yard. Hey, look closely! That one on the right has her eyes open!
This nest is on this porch where I am sitting right now with my laptop, Rita and Robbie are coming and going, feeding their babies, paying no attention to me! I love it!!
The nest is in the shadow just left of the small bedroom window. My chair is in the sun with my tabletop in the shade. I have a bird’s eye view of the robin activity.
This morning was a beautiful, sunny. warm, still day – perfect for a walk in Lion’s Club Park by the Madison River that is less than 5 minutes from us. I met a couple of TOPS friends and we walked around by the river, the baseball field, the playground…
From this view of the river, there is a bench, a painted sculpted fish, and a gorgeous view of the Madison Range across the valley.
Come go for a walk with me. There are benches along the way, picnic tables, barbecue pits, a baseball field and a playground. Young children usually flock here. But, I was early. They started to arrive as I was leaving.
On the way to the post office after my walk, I passed another For Sale sign. Our friend, Niel, died recently after a long battle with cancer. His cozy little house in town is for sale. Maybe you’d prefer this. You’d be on a smaller lot in a more modest neighborhood downtown. Look at this lovely place. Interested? Call the ERA number on the sign at the top of this post.
Your neighbors across the street have this lovely tree – and these beautiful opium poppies. What a great little town our Ennis, Montana is!!
Driving home from there, I took the golf course route. Here’s the scene just a mile from our home:
They keep it well maintained and lots of our neighbors love getting out on the course on a day like today.
Peaceful, beautiful, clean, clear, friendly … … what more could you ask?
Oh, I forgot to add there’s a darling little lake at Lion’s Club Park where the kids can fish and keep the trout they catch. The Madison River has a “catch and release” policy to preserve the natives. And there’s an old tractor at the park where the kids can climb and pretend FARMER. We have a lot of cattle and wheat farming in our Madison Valley.
But it’s best known for the Madison River and the fly fishing.
Will you come and be my neighbor?
Caroline & Chuck are building right down the hill from us.
They’d be great neighbors for ya, too!!
Have a Wonderful Wednesday. See ya tomorrow. JanBeek
Let God tell you, “You are not alone.” Let God gently hold you. Let God listen to your pain and sing your worries away. Let God remove the darkness. Remember, He accepts you as you are. God is nature. He created the earth and you. You are never alone.
God bless you, dear friends. Listen to His healing words of love and let Him hold you. Have a beautiful Sunday evening/night. I’ll see you tomorrow.
If you live in the USA and you click on this link, https://www.arborday.org/states/ , you will find a map that tells you what kinds of trees grow well in your area.
Are you near water?
Photo by Asad Photo Maldives on Pexels.com Are you in a tropical area?
Does it get real cold and snow where you live?
Photo by Oleg Magni on Pexels.com Do fruit or nut trees thrive where you are?
The Arbor Day Foundation suggested other ways, besides planting, to celebrate the proliferation and appreciation of our trees. Here are things we can do from the safety of our homes:
Connecting with teachers in your area to raise students’ awareness of Arbor Day with online lessons related to trees.
Researching the history of the day.
Writing a poem about trees, or drawing a picture of your favorite tree.
Sponsoring a contest of students’ drawings using photos of their artwork submitted by the students.
Reading a book about trees and then donating it to a library, a school, a teacher, or a child.
Educating yourself and others about caring for trees, proper pruning, and planting times.
Bringing Arbor Day inside with container gardening, herb plants, or a bonsai tree.
Making plans for planting projects, so that when you can execute them, you’ll be all set to go!
Favorite Trees
What are your favorite trees? Here are some of mine:
Evergreen – they are solid and unchanging, providing shelter for birds and small animals, giving us a sense of greenness year round.
Aspen – Aspen trees are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south at high-altitude areas such as mountains or high plains. They are all medium-sized deciduous trees reaching 49–98 ft. tall. The Aspen is noted for its ability to regenerate vegetatively by shoots and suckers arising along its long lateral roots.
Bur and Chestnut Oak Tree – Bur oak or mossycup oak is a North American deciduous tree widely distributed across the U.S., Southeastern Montana, and Northeastern Wyoming. Chestnut oak is a member of the white oak group with chestnut-like leaves. The chestnut oak is noted for its ability to survive on steep, rocky sites where other oaks in its range cannot. Foliage unfurls pink and becomes silvery before finally becoming dark green. The chestnut oak is also known for its beautiful silvery-white bark.
Photo by Kirill Belotserkovsky on Pexels.com Evergreens… pine, spruce, juniper and cypress
Beware, though, because they grow tall and spread out! When these trees were planted around our house, the house was visible… not anymore!
We have an aspen in the front of our house – It rarely changes color to this beautiful gold. The leaves just freeze before fall comes in full glory. But the ones planted a little farther from the house are beautiful.
These are Aspen, for sure. We see groves like this when we go riding on our ATV in the fall.
I love the shape of the oak leaves!
This oak tree had to have been planted at least a hundred years ago! They grow slowly… but they become massive and majestic. See why they are treasured for the shade they provide?
What is YOUR favorite tree? Better get started now… Happy Planting. Happy Arbor Day!
Written
on May 27, 2020