Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Posts tagged ‘antelope’

Wordless Wednesday

❤️
👌🏽
😁
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Love,

JanBeek

…and Good Night!

Happy October

Happy October, my friends.
The month has begun wonderfully.
Cool cool mornings and warm afternoons.
Colors changing – and autumn in the air.

The grass still is green
And the aspen leaves still quake,
But the green shrub outside our entry
Has turned a brilliant magenta.

Antelope are out grazing
Finding green nibbles in the browning fields
And trees are turning a brilliant yellow

Autumn is my favorite color
The gold and orange cheer me
From head to toe!

I scolded my daughter
When she thought my shirt was pj’s!
No, it’s comfy and ushers in fall colors.

Our local newspaper published
An article I submitted this week
Inviting writers to come and join us.

Madison Valley Writers are meeting
Every first and third Friday at 10:30 am
At the Madison Valley Bank fireside room.

If you are near, I hope you’ll come.
If you’re too far to join us,
How about submitting something?

I will share your poem or short story
With those who come next week.
Here’s the one I wrote last week.

It was published in today’s “Madisonian.”

Winter comes too early
And it lasts too long.
When God created seasons,
He got it all so wrong.

The seasons should be equal –
Spring Summer Winter Fall.
Each has its own beauty
And I love them all.

But here in our Montana,
Winter comes way too soon.
We barely get a summer
When we see the autumn moon.

The leaves turn gorgeous golden.
The wild flowers die on the vine.
The frost kills the mosquitoes.
But what joy is left is mine.

I take joy in getting ready
For winter’s cold but glorious snow.
Begging neighbors to be willing
To plow us out, you know?

Winter boots and jackets
Come forward in the space
Where sandals and sundresses
Once occupied that place.

So enjoy what little autumn
We are fortunate to see
Because before you are read
Winter’s here for you and me.

Sleigh bells ring and children gather
Near the fireplace to hear
Reindeer bells and Ho-ho-ho’s.
Are you ready? Winter’s near!

Bundle Up!!

Photo by Madeline Bassinder on Pexels.com

Enjoy Autumn!
Enjoy all the color changes.
Write about your favorite season.

Let me hear from you.
Love,
JanBeek

This n That

Today I am being prompted to post this n that… a little about a lotta things.
Today would have been my dad’s 113th birthday if he were still alive.
So, May 14th has a special ring in my heart. My daddy was a very special,
very kind, very positive influence on my life. Happy Birthday, Dad!!

He gave the best hugs in the world!!

And today he would have loved to have been here with us in Ennis, Montana
to witness the influx of antelope on our golf course’s driving range!

I am in touch each morning with our daughter, DeAna, in Switzerland,
and our “adopted daughter,” Laina, who lives in Glen Burnie, near Baltimore.
Today Laina sent me this photo of her “grand-dog” on her daughter’s lawn.
Laina said the grass was foot high. She just finished mowing it!
What a wonderful, thoughtful mama she is!

Our daughter, De, in Switzerland, sent us this picture of the flowers
her middle son, Nicky, gave her for Mother’s Day. Isn’t it nice
when our kids remember us on Mother’s Day and call or send flowers?

I was treated with flowers from De and Laina, and a phone call from our son in CA.
Bob & I treated ourselves to a Mother’s Day buffet at “The Mint” in Belgrade.
It’s a delightful restaurant not too far from the Bozeman Yellowstone Airport.
I highly recommend it. Bob gave me a lovely card and the restaurant handed out flowers.

Just look at that happy smile and the beautiful plate of prime rib, potatoes, bacon, and asparagus.
The Mint also had a section where there were salad fixings. All around us were families with their
young children. I love watching little kids with their attentive parents, don’t you?

While we were in the restaurant, our pup Owen, stayed in his crate in the car.
He is such a good traveler! On the way home he decided he wanted to travel on the floor
between my feet, He usually sits in my lap. Go figure! Owen is 9 months old!
He’ll be 10 months on the 24th. That’s the day we’ll get him neutered and have a chip installed.

Our waitress at The Mint was “Solaira.” Isn’t that a pretty name?
She said her mom made it up. I had never heard it before.
She was a very attentive, efficient waitress.

💋 Today Owen was happy to be in my lap as we traveled to the Post Office
to pick up our mail. It’s a gray, cool (56 degree) day. We’ve had a little rain.
Can use some more moisture here. We haven’t seen the last of our snow yet!

Well, that’s enough of my rambling this n that for today.
I hope you had a Terrific Tuesday and the rest of your week goes well, too.
What are your plans for this week? What are you looking forward to?

Jeremiah 29:11 ~ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Tune in to God’s Plan. It’s definitely the one I wanna go with!
Have a blessed week.
Love,
JanBeek

Embrace Your Last Best Place

Embrace your last best place
It’s where you call your “Forever Home.”
It’s the place you’re destined to stay
When you decide to land – not roam.

“Our Last Best Place” is written on
Our Montana license plates.
It’s a motto for Bozeman,
But Ennis is our place that rates.

It rates a forever stay.
It’s where we want to be
Until it’s time to eventually
Leave for Eternity.

Our neighbors have a sign –
It says home is a collection.
It says home is a story –
One with happy recollection.

I say home is a heartfelt
Place where love is true –
A place where when you have you go there,
They always have room for you.

It’s a place where happy memories
Have seeped into the wall
And everywhere you look,
Is a story to recall.

Grandpa DeAngeles’ cheese press
(or is it an apple press – I wonder)
Reminds me of my dad who had
These treasures out in rain & thunder!

We had the piece restored
And found a grape press to match.
They sit in dining room corners –
This one came without a scratch!

If rocking chairs could talk
This would have stories galore.
Bob’s great-grandma used it
And our grandkids rocked some more.

This clock has a great history –
It hung in Bob’s mother’s school.
That was back in 1908-16
His mom was certainly no fool.

When the school house caught fire
And the kids were evacuated,
A lot of stuff ended in a pile.
His mom saved this… she was elated.

The clock is not the only thing
We inherited from our folks.
Our house is full of those memories –
Full of love and life and hopes.

The horseshoe has a history –
The mortar Dad found in Merced River does, too.
The pestle that goes with it
Has seen more than a grind or two!

The books that line the living room
Have stories – some written by friends,
And the picture from Grimentz
Has Swiss memories without ends.

I love the little angels
On tables, counters and floor.
Each one has a story
And there’s always room for more.

That first one is from Terry,
A friend who has my heart.
The next one’s from our Laina –
It’s meant for garden art.

Up in my sanctuary,
There’s an angel in a dish.
She’s playing the accordion –
And she came with a great wish:

I wish you happy memories
In this “Last Best Place” of yours.
I know you’ll live here happily,
Welcoming strangers through your doors.

It’s true, we love our Last Best Place –
And we’ve welcomed many a guest.
And we’re not through inviting them –
Come – sit with us – we’re truly blessed!

Embrace Your Last Best Place

Are you in it now?
Or do you anticipate where it will be…
the one on earth, that is…

Tell me about it!

See ya tomorrow (God willing)

Love,
JanBeek

Roy Rogers was my favorite as a kid…
And never did I imagine I’d
find a Home on the Range
where the deer and the antelope play
as my Last Best Place
someday.
Yup, antelope…. right here in my Last Best Place

Music from Switzerland

Our daughter, DeAna, sent us this video this morning of her duet with Sylviane, her “Swisster.” It warms my heart to see and hear them singing together. De is the one in red.

“Syli” (as we nicknamed her) lived in our home/became our daughter and De’s “Swisster” in Modesto, CA when De was a senior in high school. DeAna then lived with Syli’s family in Sierre, Switzerland the next year. When she came home, she brought Syli’s first cousin, Andre’, home with her! They were married a year later.

Seeing and hearing these two sing together is such a joy!
(Sit back a couple minutes and enjoy)

De & her “Swisster”

Our grandson, Chris, was named after Syli’s brother, Christian.
Christian was our AFS exchange student in 1980-81.
That’s how this whole Swiss connection got started.

If you have followed my blog for awhile,
you met our grandson, Chrissy,
when he came to Montana last year
and attended the Job Corps program.

And you saw Chris
with his girlfriend, Natalia from Colombia,
in this related post:

Love on the Internet

In this next video, De and Chrissy are singing a duet to Natalia.

It’s a beautiful day here in Montana – and a wonderful way to start the day with these videos from my DeDe. I hope you enjoy them, too.

Here’s my view yesterday afternoon.
Today the clouds are gone and the sky is blue blue blue:

Those antelope babies I showed you a couple days ago were back yesterday afternoon, crossing that field between us and the “next door” neighbors. We call that path “The Antelope Highway.”

Look carefully. There are four little ones with a yearling. That one trailing is not old enough to be the mama. Must be a babysitter!

One of the little ones ran on ahead. They are so cute!
OK, enough cuteness for this morning…
I gotta get busy.

Bob just left to go fishing, and…
my Writers’ Group is coming to the house this morning.
It’ll be our first meeting since all this COVID-19 stuff.
We can socially distance in my living room.

I’ll tell you all about it this afternoon.
Come on back!

See ya later.
Love ya!
JanBeek

Dual Purpose

Dual Purpose
(Haiku x2)

Antelope family
Intent on finding water
Trek through our field

Sprinklers green the grass
Providing water and food
For neighborhood pets

See Ya Later