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Posts tagged ‘Montana’

Didja Miss Me?

I’ve been off screen, resting my eyes after cataract surgery.

First the right eye – cataracts removed and new lens inserted.

Then celebrated by enjoying dinner at Sweet Chili’s
and staying the night at C’mon Inn in Bozeman.
God is good. No pain involved 👌🏽❤️

Dilated pupil made vision blurry,
but I was assured this would be short-lived.
Give it time!

Then on Thursday Dr. Swan removed the cataracts on the left eye
and replaced that lens. It’s a simple procedure.
Once you’re in the operating room,
it only takes about 15 minutes.
Amazing!!

Back home in Ennis, Montana,
snow and wind stopped,
but temperatures were below freezing.
So, it was a good time to just hunker down and relax.
Let the eyes heal –
and avoid reading, screen time,
and bright lights.
Tough assignment!

Enlarged pupil… weird!
Oh my… Wild Woman!!

That was yesterday – day # 1 after surgery.
Today the pupils look more normal, but my vision still is blurry –
and I’m s’posed to be patient as I allow healing ❤️‍🩹
And stay off screen time!

So good-bye for now.
I’m outta here!

Have you ever had this procedure done?
If so, what were your results?

I’ll catch up with your posts
on WordPress and FaceBook
when it’s safe to do so.

Meantime,
bee 🐝 well –
and
bee 🐝 happy.

God bless you!

My neighborhood deer are keeping me company.
So blessed to be living in God’s Country!

Bob says,
“Chase them away!
They’re munching on my trees!!”

Hey, they were here first!
We are invading their space.
Right?

Actually, life is pretty good.
I am counting my blessings. Are you?

Blessed to have Bob’s support and company.
Count your blessings, my friends.
I know you have lots for which to be grateful.

Love ya…
Sending hugs
from
JanBeek

Category:

Aging Gracefully, blessings, Faith, God, Gratitude, health, Life's Challenges, Love, prayer, Serving One Another

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Christmas Spectacular

Yesterday Bob & I were treated to a wonderful opportunity.
Our friends, Ann & John, drove us in to Bozeman
to enjoy the phenomenal “Christmas Spectacular” by the Bozeman Symphony.

The players were joined by the Symphony choir
and an amazing tenor soloist, Tamar Green.
I broke the rules, held my phone down where no one could see it,
and recorded a bit of Tamar’s extraordinary voice. You just have to hear him!!

I held the phone down in front of the chair… Oh, please listen.
His voice is amazing!!

His personality is as enchanting as his singing voice.
When he is not here, he is in New York, on Broadway,
playing the part of George Washington in the musical, Hamilton!!

I had to peek between two tall heads to see him –
and lean over between two other heads
to see the amazing conductor, Norman Huynh,
but I managed…
and was mesmerized by the lighting,
the staging,
and the quality of the musicians.

We are so blessed to have this delightful, talented conductor here with us in Bozeman, MT. He is such a gift to our music community! Thank you, Norman!!

The light show on the walls left, right, above,
and on the stage
was such an enhancement
to the show!

As you can tell by the menorah,
the music was varied
and celebrated many of this season’s traditions.

The concert ended with a rousing singalong.
I wish you coulda been there with us!

Did you sing along? Could you hear it?

Try not to let my scratchy alto voice distract you
from the fun of an auditorium of music lovers singing with gusto!

Silent Night is my favorite carols.
What is yours?

I hope you have a chance to attend a spectacular Christmas concert in your area, this season.

God bless you, dear friends!
Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas!

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Christmas, holidays, Love, Montana, music

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Happy Day Before

Happy Day Before…. the rest of your life … a day of gratitude in the USA,… I pray you are well, anticipating a happy tomorrow, and living the good life.

Thank you for checking out JanBeek today. What are your tomorrow plans? We are planning to go to dinner with dear friends who live just a mile away … that is, if we can get out of our driveway! Look at what’s happening outside:

It’s pretty from the inside looking out! I’m not complaining. We have had several relatively dry years – so we can use the moisture! I just pray the roads are clear enough that we can get out tomorrow!

Yup, like that turkey who avoided the chopping block, I am grateful for life! Grateful for love and health, and all God’s blessings. What are you grateful for today? I pray that you’re feeling blessed, too.

Cheers!
Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow…
Happy Day Before…

Love to you and your family,
JanBeek

Category:

blessings, Family, friendship, God, Gratitude, holidays, Life's Challenges, Love, Montana, prayer, relationships

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Reblog #8 – Be at Peace

Seek the stillness
Seek the tranquility
See the peace within
The calm in you and me

Photo by Lisa Glines

Imagine a peaceful lake
Breathe contentment into your life
Relax and be a gentle presence
Turn away all stress and strife

Don’t try to hear me –
The wind drowns out my voice.
Just enjoy the scenery!

That is a video
Taking you down the driveway
to our home behind the trees

Photo by Nick Kwan on Pexels.com

Do not let the wind
Disturb your tranquility
The wind moves the clouds

The clouds paint pictures
The clouds bring much needed rain
Wind whips them away

Let the wind help you
Blow away any distress
And just be at peace

Smile, my friends!



When this post was first written,
Bob & I were headed out in the boat
to float the Madison River.
Since then, we have sold the boat.
A lot has changed in our lives.

I took this photo on my walk earlier the day this post was first written.

I took TazE for a walk by the river.
She loved it.
Today it is snowy and blowy here…
No river walks.
But I will post a few pictures to show you
what peaceful scenes our Madison River provides!

Many thanks to Ed Coyle for his talented photography

.

Come and visit us here someday!

Be at peace, my friends.

I gotcha covered in prayer.
Have a peace-filled day.

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Bible Lessons, blessings, Family, Fishing, God, Gratitude, Haiku, Living in Harmony, Love, Montana, mountains, peace, photography, Poetry, relationships, Travel

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Reblog #4 – Nostalgia

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

NanoPoblano2022 has invited us to reblog an old post each day during this month of November. I’m having fun going back through some of my first posts… Here is one from our vacation in southern California in 2014. The roadrunner picture in the original post was not available so I borrowed one from Pexels. Thanks!

January 27 2014

There was a Time Magazine article by Lily Rothman in which the author quoted artist, Brendan O’Connell, “Nostalgia makes memory warm.” O’Connell stopped to say parenthetically, “That’s actually a significant thought,” and I paused. Hmm – memories, nostalgia, warmth. Yes, it’s true. Not all memories are warm, but all nostalgic memories are warm. Do you agree? When you think of warm memories, what comes to mind? Here’s mine:

Childhood

Climbing
Hillsides
Into
Lands
Dense with
Hidden
Occupants
Ordering Hot
Dogs.

Hah! That’s my whimsical acrostic for today – looking back on yesterdays.

But, how about Making Memories Today?

Image

There’s no better place to make memories than where you are right now today! For me, whether it is in the warm desert on vacation in the southern California sun with roadrunners scampering by and sun casting spakles on cactus, or back home in the cold snows of Montana, each day is a memory in the making. The climate doesn’t determine the warmth of the memories. The people I am with, the events we choose, the lessons I learn, the visions I absorb: those are the nostalgia of tomorrow. I am making warm memories today – wherever I am!

Nov. 5, 2022 – our snow is almost all melted now. With today’s winds, the rest of it will blow off the roof of our house (peeking through the trees there).

That acrostic up there was mine back in 2014… but I have no idea how that could have been true. We lived in the flat central valley of California. No hillsides to climb! If I were looking back at my childhood and creating an acrostic today, it would say:

CHILDHOOD

C hasing
H ounds
I nto
L ittle
D ugouts
H aving
O odles
O f
D ead animals

Oh my! That one is reality! My dad owned a Tallow Works and one of his jobs was picking up dead animals from ranchers and farmers and bringing those animals back to the “plant” where we lived. We always had at least one dog as a pet… and they were always “hounds.” No money for pedigrees!! In our bare fields behind our house, my neighbors (cousins) and I would dig holes and create pretend worlds. That 2014 acrostic must have come out of that pretending. Sometimes our best memories are the imaginary ones, don’t you think?

If you were to write a childhood acrostic today, would yours be real? Or would you pretend?


I hope your real world is full of happy memories – warm nostalgia.
Have a great day today, my friends.

.

I had a warm, huggy, loving daddy. My memories of him are certainly warm nostalgia!!

Thanks for visiting
JanBeek
See ya tomorrow

Category:

Animals, blogging, children, Family, Love, Memories, Montana, Poetry, Sharing, writing

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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!

From my kitchen window

October snow fell softly

The view from our dining room
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!

I am smiling at our glorious Montana colors today!

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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EAA Art Festival – Ennis, Montana

Hello, dear blogging friends.
It’s been a busy weekend for me.
Saturday was our Ennis Arts Association Festival.

How’s the weekend been for you?
What were your weekend highlights?

Saturday was a beautiful day
In Ennis, Montana for our 26th annual
Ennis Arts Association
Madison Valley Art Festival

The Madison Valley Art Festival is an outdoor event (held rain or shine) on the historic trail between Yellowstone National Park and Virginia City, a path well-traveled by tourists visiting the state’s national parks and historic landmarks, and fly fishing on the Madison River.

Our Presbyterian Women hold their annual fundraiser at the festival.
They sell baked and canned goods donated by the MV Presbyterian Church members.
There were three tables full of goodies, but by 2:00 pm, this is all that was left!
We enjoyed the left-overs at fellowship after church today!

The Li’l Hog Pit had a wonderful menu
and they served the record crowd
with efficiency and delicious food.
We’re grateful to Benny and her hubby
for their expertise and availability.

Bob enjoyed his lunch with our friends, Bonny & Joel.

From 10: am to 5:00 pm,
the Tune Tanglers provided music
for the art enthusiasts.
We’re grateful for their shared talent!
They spread the gospel message
with their musical choices
as well as good ole western songs.

Artists such as talented painter, Kathleen Van Driessche,
come from far and near.
We had 61 artists in 54 booths this year.
Something for everyone!

I walked around and admired all the
paintings,
pottery,
photography displays,
jewelry,
woodworking,
metal sculptures,
etc.

If I wasn’t saving my money
for or upcoming Swiss trip,
I might have convinced Bob
to get this wooden vase
(with a glass insert)
for me.
I love it!

But the price tag said,
“Not this year, Jan!”

As the afternoon wore on,
the shade was especially appreciated.
We had an unusually calm day
(without our typical Madison Valley wind)
and the temperatures reached into the 90s.

We were happy to return home to our home
where we had opened it up to the cool (50 degree) night air
and closed it up during the day. Ah, God is good!
Life is good! Praise Him for our artists, musicians,
Ennis Art Association workers who set up and took down,
and all the people who came out to support the event.

Maybe next year you can plan to come join us for the last weekend in July.
Ya think?

See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Maybe later today…

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

art, blessings, food, Gratitude, Love, Montana, music, photography, Poetry

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Git Walkin’

This is the week to git walkin’ –
It’s time to git off m’ butt –
Time to leash the pup.
Git outta this home-bound rut!

So off to the park
On this beautiful day –
Git walkin’ before the sun
Warms too much and I wanna stay.

Git m’ hubby to come
And join me in the park.
We’ve got a gorgeous place –
Let’s go before it gits dark!

Take the pup to the river
And enjoy the midday sun.
Let the hubby walk her –
They’ll both have fun!

Bob & TazE
@Lion’s Club Park

With my trusty camera
I’ll git some photos fir ya.
Come walk a spell with me.
Come close – let me stir ya!

Ready? Let’s walk!!

It’s a gorgeous blue-sky day.
There’s not another soul in sight.
We’ve got the park to ourselves –
The day looks mighty bright!

Ya gotta come in person
If you wanna read this sign –
Can’t tell ya about it
Not even the upper headline.

It’s so peaceful to be
In this place with only me
And my hubby and my dog.
Let’s sit a spell and just BE!

Didja bring along a snack?
We could sit here and eat.
Give our pup a treat
And get off our weary feet.

But, no that’s not why we came.
We came to just git walkin’ –
So git a move on, Jan,
And quit yer silly talkin’!

TazE says the day is heating up
So we gotta keep on movin’ –
Whistle a tune as you jog.
Exercise the dog and get groovin’!

Around the back side of the park
The scenery changes a lot.
Fields of baled hay and no shade –
Now it’s starting to get hot!

Don’t you love these round ones?
They were square in fields back home.
Things are done differently
When you git out and roam.

Looking beyond the hayfield,
You can see a ridge halfway up.
That’s where our place is located.
It’s a great neighborhood, yup!

Walking back into the shade
Of the tree-lined park, we see
A gazebo on the lawn out there.
Wanna come sit a spell now with me?

No, it’s heating up; let’s move.
I was surprised as I walked on
To see my friends from the Manor
Having a picnic out on the lawn.

That’s some of the folks
That I lead Bible Study with weekly.
When they saw me out of context,
Some greeted me quite meekly.

Isn’t it wonderful that friends
From our local nursing home
Can get into the van and travel
To the park and watch others roam?

When I saw a couple of the kids
From our neighborhood at play,
Their greetings were robust!
Their smiles and hugs made my day!

Time for a potty stop before
Heading home to get some rest.
I’m so grateful to the Lion’s Club
For their park. Kudos to Cherrie and the rest

Who work to keep it pristine.
It’s a gift to our community.
We plan to walk there most days.
Aren’t you glad today you joined me?

See ya tomorrow (God willing)
Love,
JanBeek

Walk with me
through the darkness.
Pick me up each time I fall.
You’ll bring light and erase the starkness!

(Love Randy’s invitation in the song below)

Category:

Animals, blessings, contentment, Faith, friendship, Gratitude, happiness, health, life, Love, Montana, music, nature, peace, pets, photography, Poetry

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Celebrate July!!

I have taken a week off from blogging…
time to enjoy company …
time to enjoy summer finally!

July is a month
Of special celebrations
First: Back on the road

Bob, TazE and I were invited to join our friends, Mike and Julie, on an ATV ride into the Gravelly Range.

Julie & Mike brought their
wonderful dog, Zeke.

The wildflowers were out in full bloom, and my friend, Susan Phillips, captured their beauty magnificently. What you see is the Madison Valley and the Sphinx in the Madison Range in the background. Impressive, huh?

Thank you, Susan, for letting me share some of your photos.

I captured some of the panoramic scenery. It was such a pretty day!

The fields of wild mustard and other wildflowers were breathtaking!
The fields are so green.
The cattle are happy grazers!
Bob & I thought this was a
beautiful place to stop for a lunch break.
That’s Bob holding TazE’s leash…
And Julie bending low in front.
She and Mike were our drivers…
and Caroline & CG were the trip organizers.
Caroline & Chuck-
dear friends!

Then, other dear friends, the Tillions,
came from California to spend a few days with us.

Ingrid & Alan Tillion

We went to our nearby tourist attraction,
Virginia City, and enjoyed time together there.
No time to blog… too busy being in the moment!

Ingrid & Alan almost missed the hailstorm –
but not quite! We got hammered!!

We went on the 4th to watch the parade from the comfort of our friends’, the Washburns, beautiful yard. They provided breakfast and lunch for an amazing group of their friends. We felt privileged to be included and to be invited to bring the Tillions with us.

Alan, Bob, Jan & Ingrid
Such a beautiful Independence Day!
The parade came right in front of our lovely, shaded area at the Washburns.
I loved the painted horse.
Back at home, we were treated to
our own neighborhood parade
with the Welna Family… too cute!

To continue our July celebrations,
we went with the Tillions to Bozeman
on July 5th, and we all enjoyed a
yummy brunch at Jam! (my favorite BZN brkfst)

Mmmmm… it was delicious!

We didn’t stop there… yesterday we invited our pastor, Rev. Mary Grace Reynolds, to come celebrate her birthday with us. So you can see why I have not blogged for a few days. It’s been a wonderful time of face-to-face with people who are dear to our hearts. No better way to celebrate!

Happy Birthday, MGR!!
We’re so happy you are a part of our lives!
You make us happier with your presence.

It’s good to be back on my blog.
I thank you for visiting and sharing time with us.
I hope you will share how you are celebrating July, too.

Happy Trails to You!

See ya again soon, I hope.
Have a beautiful rest of your week.
What will you be doing? Tell me…

Love,
JanBeek

Category:

Family, flowers, friendship, holidays, Love, Montana, mountains, nature, pets, relationships

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