snow | janbeek

Loving One Another

Posts tagged ‘snow’

Launching Lucille

Lucille is our ATV. We named our “all-terrain vehicle” after the popular 1950’s to ’70’s comedian, Lucille Ball, because she has a red head and she’s a “ball!” Look carefully at that photo and you can see Bob, TazE (our Boston Terrier), and me… ready to have a Montana springtime ball!

Just as a ship is launched to the sea,
Bob & I launched Lucille on the mountains today.
It’s not her maiden voyage; she’s a veteran for sure.
But it was her first 2020 opportunity to play.

On our way to North Meadowcreek
in the Tobacco Root Mountains

We went with two other couples;
It’s a good thing we had them along
Because when Bob got stuck in the snow,
Rex was prepared for what went wrong

He had a long rope, and equipment galore-
So he pulled old Lucille out in a flash.
Us gals kept our 6 feet distance and watched.
We didn’t want to intrude or do something brash.

CG Feldman helped pull our ATV back to safety after Rex Hocking used his four-wheeler and a lot of rope to pull our "Lucille" out… she had high-centered in the snow! pic.twitter.com/MMLIIarvGl
— Jan Beekman (@GrammyBeek) April 29, 2020

This video shows the end of the trial…
CG pulled the rope by hand at the end,
But Rex used it connected to his ATV
To pull Lucille out – way beyond the bend!

We had a wonderful ATV day on top of the Tobacco Root Mountains with this spectacular view. pic.twitter.com/WoVLbvSQo7
— Jan Beekman (@GrammyBeek) April 29, 2020

We went to the very top of the mountain
Where the sky was unbelievably blue –
And there we had lunch – a spectacular view –
Wish we could share this four-wheeling ride with you!

That snow-covered peak is gorgeous Mt. Baldy.
From here, it’s a much different sight
Than the way it looks from our house
Where it seems rounded and shines ever bright.

Beautiful ranch tucked into the hillside

The weather could not have been
More perfect for this ATV outing.
Life in the Montana mountains is grand!
Keeps me from sitting home – pouting!

TazE hangs out the side, enjoying the views

Back in McAllister
Lucille rides the trailer home

TazE loves taking rides on Lucille,
but now she’s ready to head home now!

Home again…
See Mt. Baldy out there?
I told you it looks rounded from our home.
Strange, huh?

I’m so glad you came to JanBeek today
To join our 2020 launch of Lucille.
Now it’s time to get in the kitchen;
Bob needs a hearty dinner meal.

Bee well!
Bee safe!!
See ya tomorrow.

Category:

blessings, friendship, happiness, Living in Harmony, Love, Montana, mountains, nature, peace, pets, Poetry, relationships, Travel

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Let’s Go to Switzerland

Today at d’Verse Lillian challenged us. Since we are not able to travel now because of the Covid-19 pandemic, write a poem that takes every one along with us on a trip we have taken in the past. Here are the directions:

Write a poem that is a travelogue of sorts.

2) The TITLE must include the name of the place we’ll be visiting

3) Post the poem to your blog AND add the exact URL for your poem to Mr. Linky below.

4) REMEMBER to either TAG dVerse in your post, or include a link at the end of your poem that leads readers back to dVerse

So, travel with me to Switzerland where or daughter and her family live.

Let’s Go to Switzerland

Switzerland is a wonderland
Where visitors love to go.
Springtime’s filled with flowers;
Winter – with magical snow.

We rode the tram to the top of the Alps
And stood on the mountain’s summit.
A trail for skiers led to the base,
But we stood back; no desire to plummet!

A favorite meal in the state of Valais
Is raclette, luscious melted cheese.
It’s made with milk from sweet Swiss cows.
Come and enjoy a day with us, please!

(https://dversepoets.com)

Category:

food, Love, Memories, mountains, Poetry, Travel

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Faith is What it Takes

April snow falls so gently
On our Madison Valley town.
Trees and bushes are covered
With God’s pure and flaky gown.

Pintail Ridge is quiet –
Even robins hunker in
Partly finished nests of
Grasses and twigs so thin.

The air is misty stillness;
No folks are out about.
Spring snow falls so softly
I want to go out and shout:

“COVID-19 LEAVE US!
We don’t need your deadly germ!”
The virus didn’t hear me…
But the robin caught a worm!

Our birds will not go hungry –
And neither, friends, will we.
As God is in His heavens,
He’s also here to comfort me.

He sends the gentle snowflakes
To spread quiet, lovely peace.
He sends birds to remind us –
Here come the Canadian geese!

Our feathered friends are signs
Real spring is on its way.
Soon we’ll see the flowers
With colors to brighten our day.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

But for now, be still and listen.
God whispers through the flakes,
“The birds will not go hungry –
Trust, be calm; faith is what it takes.”

April snow falls so gently
On my neighborhood today.
But there will be a sunny morrow…
And we’ll all go out and play.

Children will be back in school.
Yay! We’ll all go out to play.
Fishermen fish, golfers golf, workers work –
We have faith – we’ll see that day!

Faith is what it takes.
Let’s remain positive together, okay?
God bless you!

Happy April 1st to you.
What’re you going to do to make today memorable?
I’ll see yo tomorrow.

Category:

Animals, Belief, children, Faith, Family, flowers, God, Life's Challenges, Living in Harmony, Love, peace, Poetry, prayer, relationships

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Valentine Friends

Our Valentine Friends
Treated us to a dinner
At Blue Moon Cafe

Driving to Cameron,
The setting sun was gorgeous
Happy Valentine

Loved meeting long-time friends in Cameron.

Bob & Richard had a lot of catching up to do.

So did Pam and I.
Good friends are such a blessing, aren’t they?

We were grateful for clear roads to and from.

How did you spend your Valentine’s Day?
Did you go out to eat?
Did you meet up with long-time friends
or share the day/evening with family?
Tell me about it!

See ya tomorrow.

Category:

blessings, friendship, Gratitude, Haiku, holidays, Love, nature, photography, Poetry, relationships

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Staying Out of the Cold

I posted earlier today from my cell phone while we were up at Big Sky. Bob was enjoying a day of skiing with Nancy, his ski buddy, while I was inside making new friends, keeping warm, and reading the book that our Ennis Book Club will be discussing at tomorrow’s meeting.

I also browsed the shops at the Big Sky mall and photographed a few things (taking them home in my camera is way better than buying them!).

I enjoyed the trip to Big Sky from Ennis. The snow was so beautiful!

But once we arrived at the ski area, I was more than happy to avoid the cold and stay in the lodge. Some of you may think that’s crazy; others of you may relate. I didn’t learn to ski as a child, broke my leg as a teen, took a long time to heal, and have a fear of falling down and breaking it again. I prefer to stay in the lodge!

A Guy Named Kenny

Before Bob & Nancy could get from the parking lot to the lodge (where they had dropped me off), I met a guy named Kenny. Well actually, he met me. I was sitting quietly in the corner with my book when he approached me. Told me I reminded him of his grandma. I learned all about his family … and was in deep conversation with him when Bob & Nancy arrived. Even got his grandma’s chicken soup recipe! (Should have taken Kenny’s picture for you!) Nice guy!

Montana Jack’s

After Bob & Nancy went up to ski, I went to Montana Jack’s for an Irish coffee. I was sitting with my book at the bar, sipping my drink when a guy about my son’s age sat down and struck up a conversation with me. I found out he was from Colstrip, MT and his wife is a child psychiatrist working with Autistic children. The darling, young waitress treated me to a delicious piece of apple pie to go with my coffee. She adopted me as her Grandma and so did my new friend from Colstrip (I love it).

Back Home Again

Returning home, we nearly got stuck in the drifts that had blown onto our driveway. I was reluctant to go out again, but Bob really wanted to treat me to a Happy Anniversary dinner at our favorite Ennis restaurant, The Alley Bistro. So, we braved the weather and had a great evening. We managed to return home and inch our way through the snow drifts safely. It was a Happy Anniversary indeed. Thanks for all your good wishes.

58 years… now that’s something to celebrate!

While Bob & Nancy enjoyed the slopes at Big Sky, I enjoyed staying inside and making new friends. Can you relate? — I hope you live long enough to celebrate your 58th, too…
And with the love of your life!
Life is beautiful!!

Bedtime

Time for bed…
but first I have to finish that book.
Somehow today I didn’t get much reading done.
Had too much fun making new friends.
Can you relate?

See ya tomorrow.
Good Night!

Category:

Aging Gracefully, books, friendship, Living in Harmony, Love, Montana, mountains

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Beautiful Scenery

When I posted this morning, I told you today was a beautiful day to travel. We stayed in a lovely Wyndham Hotel (La Quina in Twin Falls) last night. I highly recommend it.

It was a terrible day to travel yesterday. But today made up for it.

Let me show you some of the sights we enjoyed on our trip home. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. The camera doesn’t do them justice, but you can get the idea.

First, entering the Island Park, Idaho area,
we marveled at frosty trees.

Then the evergreens were partially snow-sprinkled.

Traveling on, the trees were snow-laden!

The snow-covered evergreens were magnificent!

These Jack Fences were
deep in the snow
with powder puff toppings.
So picturesque!

Blue sky re-emerged, the sun peeked through, and the trees sparkled. I’m sorry the camera didn’t capture the sparkling for you! But you can imagine.

Approaching our home, the Madison Range was a welcomed sight.

The tracks in the snow are evidence that our neighbor came down our driveway earlier today. He blew off our walkway and prepared a clear spot for us to enter the house. God bless him!

Are you blessed with helpful neighbors like ours?
I hope so!

It was a wonderful trip to California and back. We had a marvelous set of experiences with family and friends. Thank you for traveling along vicariously with us!

But, as much as we enjoyed the trip, the friends, the time with family, the sun-filled desert, the reunions with colleagues and former classmates, the Tahoe area skiing, etc., you know…. there’s NO PLACE LIKE HOME!

It’s good to be back in the Madison Valley
where the Madison River
beckons people from all over to the world
to come and fly fish…
and where the big sky
smiles a welcome
and neighbors are so grand.

Thanks for visiting JanBeek.
Which of my photos from today’s travel did you like best?

See ya tomorrow.

Category:

blessings, Fishing, friendship, Gratitude, happiness, Love, Memories, Montana, mountains, nature, photography, Travel

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Sparkling Montana Morning

I sat down to eat
Breakfast on this cold morning
Amazing outside!

The grasses sparkled
Like diamonds placed there by God –
My jeweled morning gift!

I want to share it
With you and my neighbors, too
(The ones who are gone)

Happy November 1st

What’s your November 1st look like?
Yesterday it was cold, but no frost.
Today it sparkles!
What a gift!!

Category:

God, Gratitude, Haiku, Montana, mountains, nature, Sharing

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Devastating Snow

How can something so beautiful be devastating?

BURIED CROPS

Near Wolford, North Dakota: “The impact has been great. Wheat, corn, and soybeans are still out in the field. The wheat and soybeans are buried in some places. We haven’t been able to chop our corn because of the wet fall, therefore making it impossible to bring cattle home before the storm. They need to go in the field that the corn is in. We have been forced to feed cows out in the pasture the last two days which is going to deplete an already short hay supply. We lost all our oats hay due to the constant rain and the snow we had last week. The picture above is covered soybeans.

Forced to feed cows an already short hay supply

Our farmers and ranchers need our love and support. The impact of the storm across western and central North Dakota is dire. Farmers and ranchers across the area were especially impacted.

What do you think we can do to help our farmers and ranchers?

They can’t harvest crops buried in snow!

One FaceBook reader who saw these pictures wrote a comment that reflects what most of us are feeling:
Holly Anderson “This is so sad. It affects so many of these hard working people’s livelihood. It also will potentially affect the costs for consumers as well. The moisture is needed but never is wanted in this quantity and this early. I am so sad for all of these farm families.”