Living with Fred

FRED VALENTINE

haiku

when we live alone

we have some strange bedfellows

one way conversations

This fall I have been talking to the insects around the house and there sure are many of them. My friend Zeke Nile says "It's time to move to town, Chris!"  He's probably right.

The Box-elder Bugs  are the most prolific.  I generally put up with them as they are friendly little things and seem to seek me out when I am at the computer.  They perch on the monitor or walk across my hand when I am typing.  About the time they litter the floor so badly that I can't walk around them, I get out the vacuum.  This morning, one of them got onto the screen and followed the cursor around; he seemed to enjoy watching the changing light as I looked at pictures and text.

Boxelder bugs, Boisea trivittatus, are familiar insects to most people. They are generally not noticed during summer, but often can become an issue when they try to move into homes during fall as they search for overwintering sites.

My main friend is Fred, a large garden spider that lives in the bathroom ( see photo above) We are very compatible and he amuses me by dashing around while I sit on the toilet. He is also a voyeur; hides between the bathtub and the wall then comes out and walks along the edge of the tub when I am taking a bath! What a guy!  Now and then he gets into the empty bathtub and can't get out. So several times I've had to construct a ramp with a small towel so he can walk to freedom. This morning he happily scuttled up the towel and hid behind the hot air deflector - must be like a trip to Hawaii for him there!

I notice bits and pieces of box elder bugs on the bathroom floor, so I think he is eating them. A bit of a dirty eater I'd say, leaving the rest on the floor; sort of like medieval feasts - eating the meat and throwing the bones over your shoulder for the dogs! Might have to sew him a spider-size napkin.

Yup - all in all it's getting time to move to town!

Colors and Critters

 Sunlight through plum leaves yet to feel frost

 Chokecherry leaves against Montana blue

 He thought he was invisible!

 Young rattler hiding his wounds

Box Elder bug

 Centipede

daily haiku

trees in their glory
against the rain-sodden sky
a golden pathway

More than halfway through October and fall colors are beginning to fade. The river that wove a golden path towards the Big Horn Mountains has now turned more bronze but is still beautiful even as it fades.  Plums and Chokecherries are shedding leaves and the Ash tree at my office in town, flamed gold, then in one night dropped all it's foliage.

Along with the colors come the critters. In the house, flies, wasps, box-elder bugs, spiders and centipedes roam freely.  There is a large spider that keeps me company in the bathroom. He loves the new vinyl floor and runs full pelt across it while I sit on the toilet in the morning. He's a real show-off! I am not quite as tolerant with the centipedes. They appeared about five years ago, everyone complained about them; that year we had dozens of them. Now, they just seem to appear one by one. Not sure if they are a different species to the large scuttling ones or whether they are babies that will grow larger later; they get picked up in a Kleenex and flushed. 

Outdoors the rabbits run freely again and I have seen a couple of snakes. A pretty young Bull-Snake 

disappeared into the rock wall two weeks ago and yesterday I encountered a young rattlesnake. I tried to chase it back into the long grass, but it was stubborn, and I injured it, so it may still be out there - I surely hope not - that is one breed I don't like to have around the house. As long as they keep out in the rest of the acreage they are fine. 

Tomorrow the furnace technician will visit. In October 2006 he disturbed a rattler lying on top of the door frame to the basement utility room.  He came running up the stairs yelling, left, and said he'd come back when we got rid of it. Our neighbor came up and obliged, and an hour later the furnace at last got serviced for the winter. We gave him the rattles to impress his friends at work!  Two years later we had another in exactly the same place, called our neighbor who dispatched it once more, and we all hunted, found where they were getting in, and plugged the hole. As always, tomorrow the furnace tech will delicately ask "Any rattlesnakes down there?" before he'll go to the basement and do his work!

Early Snowstorm

daily tanka

rain in the night

blanket of snow this morning

heavy and wet

possible power cuts now

thaw out soup get some dry logs

daily senryu

crashes and bangs

raccoon at the bird feeder

wish they'd grow wings

When I got up this morning I felt like writing on my blog - so I went with the feeling and am typing away in my bathrobe! The sun is shining, although the morning temperature was a chilly 25'. 

Yesterday was a stormy day. The past two days dropped about 1 3/4 inches of rain/snow on us. The snow in Birney mostly melted as it came down, but Sheridan to the south being higher, got over a foot of it along with power cuts.  

Power cuts were on my mind too, as wet snow often precipitates them in our rural area, so I decided to stack some dry wood in case I needed to heat the house in an emergency. I went to the wood pile and gathered an armful of dry wood from a lower level, went to put it in the house and the door was locked! Oh my. It is a combo screen door and storm door and has a little catch on it. I had a problem once before with the lock slipping and now here I was in the cold with snow coming down. I used my October allocation of swear words in one minute!

After determining that all the windows were locked and swearing some more, I remembered what my neighbor down the hill told me the time before when I banged myself up forcing a window open with a crowbar...... "Take the door off the hinges".  I looked at the door and indeed the hinges were on the outside, thank God.  So I hunted around and got a hammer and screw driver, got the door off it's hinges and unlocked it. But the worse part was getting the door back on again. It is quite heavy.

Once indoors I decided not to chance driving down the hill to get the mail, it was thick mud and while re-hanging the door I could hear drivers spinning their wheels. One adventure was enough for the day!

In the afternoon I ventured out and put the last of my birdseed in the feeder, thinking the birds would eat it before the raccoons found it. Not so! As I was checking my e-mail before going to bed I heard an almighty crash, knew what it was, and sure enough there was a big fat black body underneath eating birdseed! I swear they can smell birdseed a mile away.

There has not been much activity on selling my house recently.  So I face the fact I may need to winter here again.  At the beginning of this week I had a visit from my bluebird family; three males and a female. I think they were making plans for next spring and checking out the nest under the eaves. They sat on the fence and preened, it was a nice surprise. I had not seen any bluebirds for over a month and thought they'd gone south already. The bats are gone and one afternoon I did the odious chore of cleaning the shed of their guano for another winter.

The trees along Hanging Woman Creek are now bright gold and the cottonwoods along the river beginning to turn as well. Last night I dreamed I was talking to my cousin's wife.  It was only when I woke up that I remembered that she died this summer. Again I was reminded of all the friends and family I have lost over the last three years. So many riches gone. Like the trees they are dormant. I hope I see them again in the next life, when I leaf out in a new place. Meanwhile I'll enjoy winter in this beautiful and very rural area.

First Day Of Fall

This looks like an impressionist painting!

Hanging Woman Creek - Box Elders beginning to turn

In spite of the muddy water, I loved this reflection. Almost heart shaped.

The beauty of my friend's Maple hedge

daily haiku

bright full moon sinks west
ten degrees above freezing
in a silent landscape

One morning at 34' and another at 36' have shoved us into fall, and today, September 22nd, is the official start. Only a week ago we were in the 90's every day and my body is objecting to the sudden drop in temperature!

Two of my fledgling bluebirds came to check out the nest before flying south. I thought they all ready had, so I was surprised and overjoyed to see them perching on the fence one morning. One last visit and maybe goodbye as I am not sure if I will be here next spring.

I usually don't turn on the heat until October or if the house hits 60', but I am having some re-flooring done and I felt sorry for the workman - Mike (as well as my typing fingers :-) with the house at 63', so a couple of mornings I did run the furnace and take the chill off the inside air. Of course by 4.00 pm I was turning on the a/c unit.  I remember when I was working for the N C Tribe, I needed the car's heater in the morning and the a/c in the afternoon for the drive back and forth. 

Now it is cooler I must seriously start looking for a new place in town. I've had some people to look at the house and one seems serious. We'll see. In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy my morning walks in the cooler air.

Late Summer Wearies

Wild Sunflowers

Jerusalem Cricket

 daily haiku

a great deception
cool breeze lies about daily heat
equinox laughing

Late summer is upon us and things are changing - in the landscape and in my life. The continual heat, 90's every day and sometimes hot nights, leaves me feeling tired and self critical because I don't accomplish enough each day.

Hanging Woman Creek is at a low point and is muddy and weedy, but I did see a large fish this morning working the weeds; about 20" long, and judging by the shape of it's tail it was a carp. Hardly any birds around and the bats have left for different climes.

The house invaders are here - mice, and at present Jerusalem Crickets. The crickets are ugly - often called Earth Babies or Baby Bugs because of their large head.  They compete with the mice for the peanut butter in the mousetraps! Inadvertently they spring the trap. The first one cut itself in half and I found it dead. The second one managed to get out of the trap by eating its own body - here is a close up of the poor thing.I put it in the wood pile but I doubt it will live - just become a part of the food chain.

Yesterday despite the heat, I plugged a hole in the basement wall with spray foam to stop the advance of more mice and possible snakes, which made me feel a lot safer! 

There is interest in my house - one couple "walked through" - and two others may be scheduled for this next weekend. This of course leads to being more careful about tidiness and housework.  In between all this I look at new places to live, online, and as soon as the weather cools, I will be spending time looking for a new place to live in Sheridan, WY - 60 miles away.

Life has changed also for my dear friend Bruce.  His family insisted that he move to assisted living. He hated leaving his own house but is adjusting pretty well to his new apartment and having people around all day.

His son came from Texas to help with the moving process, flew his plane to Sheridan which he built himself. He took Bruce up for a spin and despite limited vision he was able to see the town below.

Bruce and son Peter

In his new place

So  the landscape is morphing towards winter and so are we. In my depressed moments, leaving here does feel like a step towards death, but I have come to believe I am just entering a new phase of my life and it could well be exciting.

Procrastination

Tomorrow - I’ll see the lawyer about my will

Tomorrow - I’ll see the undertaker about my funeral

Tomorrow - I’ll write last letters to the children

Tomorrow - I’ll write my funeral service

Of course tomorrow never comes,

The deeds fester in the wind.

Facing death today is a hard chore,

I’d rather look out of the window

At green hills,

River valley,

Feel the cool morning air through the window,

Smell the java,

Taste this side of life today.

Hell – who cares about the vultures

That fly above my head;

Why should I give a dam about

Where I’m buried?

Keep the feeling,

It could be a poem some day.

© C. Valentine 6-20-13

 

Autumn pulling on long strings

Hill House from 1/2 mile to the east - photo by Stephen Valentine III

Hill House ...west side

Hill House - south side

View from the sun porch looking south towards the village of Birney

Last three photos by Bruce Garber - Century 21 Real Estate

http://www.century21.com/real-estate-agent/profile/bruce-garber-10643603

 

daily haiku

the start of autumn

hills turn to pink in the dawn

some things never change

--------------------------

daily haiku

temps hurtle downward

the bats have flown to the south

equinox on its way

 -------------------------- 

There are many signs occurring that fall will be early this year. First the swallows left early. On my walk I could still call up three of them at Hanging Woman Bridge, but as of this week they too have flown away. Now there is not much Bat poop on the hood of my car (it resides in an open garage where they sleep) an indication that they too have gone south.

This morning I was awake at 2.30 and the temperature was 47' and falling while I took a break from sleeplessness at the computer. I was able to go back at 5.00 a.m. and sleep three more hours so I don't know the eventual *coolth, but I would estimate around 45'. I was able to sleep without the a/c unit clunking away in the background -such a pleasure.

The summer has been good; days in the 90's and rain off and on so we can't complain.  But this house has no shelter from the sun, so I while away the days running the a/c's and doing chores when it is cool enough.    After a bout of a fatigue syndrome early this summer, I have been convinced that it is not in my best interest to stay here even though it is my joy, heart, and soul.  I shall truly miss it. I have come to realize that I am entering a new phase of my life, that it might be rewarding and fun, and that does help. The house is up for sale and as of writing maybe almost sold before listing. I am also selling my office in town. It is my goal to die without owning any real estate to make things simpler for the children in dealing with my will. (In MT if you die without owning real estate you do not have probate).

So........The View From The Hill... blog, may come to an end. However I enjoy blogging so hope to create another new one before the end of this year by finding positives and some wildlife in a new home.

* a term invented by my friend, poet Midge Farmer

 House listing
http://www.century21.com/property/8356-tongue-river-rd-birney-mt-59012-C2137998854
Office listing
http://www.century21.com/property/301-commercial-st-birney-mt-59012-C2138000560

Mid-summer on the Hill

Mr and Mrs Bluebird listening to my voice

Mrs Bluebird has more listening skills! 

daily haiku

stormy morning clouds

green landscape turning to brown

montana summer

We are now well into summer, and summer temperatures. 80's and 90's are the norm with a few hot ones like yesterday at 102' thrown in. A friend helped me to install my window a/c units and they are providing decent indoor temperatures for me. I get cabin fever more in the summer than in the winter and am pretty restless in the long afternoons. In the winter I can pile on more sweaters, light the fire etc, but in the summer taking off clothing is a bit dangerous!

I realize as I looked through my photos, that I have not taken too many this year so far, & I must remedy that. The wildlife is still entertaining me. Yesterday three Flickers (woodpeckers) moved into the area of the bluebird nest. I was surprised to see that despite their large size, the Bluebirds seemed not to care. I have heard no signs of babies in the nest all summer which is very odd. Usually when mother enters the nest with food there is much twittering.

And then there was rain........

daily haiku

 

open the windows

let in afterstorm cool air

a new storm comes in

 

We did have rain right after I blogged yesterday! We had a severe thunderstorm come in and it dropped 4/10 ths of rain overnight. Thunder, lightning and rain and tornado warnings for our county - fortunately none locally.

This morning I opened up the house to let the cool air in and another storm rolled up with lightning, thunder, hail, and rain that dropped 2/10 ths.  So we've had a half inch in the last 24 hrs - wonderful. Now the furnace is running to bring the house up to a decent temperature! The joys of spring in Montana.

Rain and Spring







May 19th - finally some rain

Bluebirds are nesting

Lilac in full blossom

Lilac

Honeysuckle weighted down with bloom

Black-Headed Grosbeak

My lovely visitor - Lazuli Bunting

Well - we had almost a week of rain off and on - got about 1" so we are still well below normal, but the  moisture and hot days (80'-90' the week before) brought forth spring!  The air is full of the aroma of blossoms; the post office doorway is framed by two lilac trees:

daily haiku

the smell of lilacs
in the post office doorway
letters with perfume

The birds are coming through on their spring trip too, the Bluebirds are very busy and such a sweet couple. Mrs Bluebird takes a rest on the fence and Mr. Bluebird sits by her side flying to the ground now and then to feed her.  Also seen are Rufus-sided Towhees, Lark Sparrows, Black-headed Grosbeaks, and my favorite the brilliant Lazuli Buntings. I put ordinary bird seed in the feeder for the summer but they are all enjoying it and get feisty about their territory.

daily haiku

lazuli bunting
flash of blue in pounding wind
hope in a dark world

At Hanging Woman Creek Bridge I call up the mud swallows and they fly around me squealing their greeting or warning. You can find a video of the swallows at my blog for Memorial Day 2010 (May 31st). The Carp were spawning this morning, roiling around in the water so spring is here. I must assume that there will be no more frost and take a trip to the greenhouse this week to get blooming flowers for my containers and who knows, maybe we'll get more rain along the way.............

Spring - sort of

 

daily haiku

rabbits take a rest

from mating activity

rest on the rock wall

 Today is a lovely spring day in the 70's and not much wind. I was able to work outdoors, and that was nice.  I de-rusted a metal outdoor table and tomorrow I will spray paint it to look like new!  While waiting for the rustoleum to work its magic I sat in my chaise longue and caught up on a couple of magazines; simply delightful. 

So far the weather this spring has swung wildly back and forth .... 83' to barely above freezing. We are still having frost most mornings. The spring flowers are pretty feeble because of the drought - see the photo of the Star of Bethlehem at the top of the page - normally about 4-5 blossoms will sprout from each plant. None of this slows the rabbits, however. I am constantly amused by their antics as they chase each other around the house at top speed. While I was in my chaise a big chase took place around the garden several times.  The male finally gave up and hid under the propane tank. Poor female will probably get "jumped" from his hiding place. Guess that's where the saying "mad as a March Hare " comes from.

Pittsburgh to Tampa

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT

"FALLINGWATER"

 

KENTUCK KNOB - SCULPTURE GARDEN

"RED ARMY"

WITH KELLY (HUSKY MIX) AND JASPER (ADOPTED GREYHOUND)

VALRICO, FLORIDA

COLUMBIA RESTAURANT

 daily haiku

peacefulness

coo of the mourning dove

off alone somewhere

Well, it is Sunday and snow is coming down slanted at times because of the wind. We're having April showers...sometimes rain, sometimes snow, but what ever form in which it comes, we need it badly so I will not complain.

I am home from a trip to visit two of my children. The first stop was in Pittsburgh to visit our oldest son and his wife, plus their two dogs. Stephen and Alice adopt many older dogs who cannot find homes. They grow to love them and then lose them in a few years, but the time they spend together is special for all of them. Currently they have a Husky mix and a retired Greyhound - beautiful dogs very sedate and loving in their older years. I admire their courage in adopting them.

While I was there, Alice drove me to Fallingwater, the famous Frank Lloyd Wright house built around the Bear Run stream.  It has been one of my dreams to see this house and I was not disappointed. It is most unusual and the level of thoughtful little details in the design is amazing. For instance, most rooms have a rock floor.... rocks that have been smoothed by the water and have little undulations. Wherever the view from the room looks towards the water, the rocks have been polished with Johnson's Wax so that they have a similar reflection as the water and they merge together. The house, now a museum is only available by guided tours and no indoor pictures allowed. Throughout each room are wonderful pieces of art ..Picasso, Diego Rivera and a new sculptor to me- Richmond Barthe - one small bust was utterly exquisite, the most emotional piece of work I have ever seen.

After the tour we drove a little further south to another less well known FLW house - Kentuck Knob. In contrast to the multi-level Fallingwater, this is a smaller house all on one level.  It is also built with natural rock from the area and the interior is hewn wood and rock. The impression is one of a log cabin in some ways; it is intimate, cozy and warm. It is currently owned by a British Lord - Lord Palumbo - who is noted for his contributions to the arts and architecture. The grounds of Kentuck Knob have a collection of sculptures the most eye catching of which is the Red Army, about 200 -300 iron silhouettes painted red. There is also a large piece of the Berlin Wall. 

We also took a tour of downtown Pittsburgh on WW II DUKW boat. Much fun! We traversed downtown buildings by wheel then entered the Ohio River and chugged into the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. 

I left Pittsburgh and flew to Tampa, Fl. to visit daughter Sarah and husband Jerry. Sarah unfortunately had to work much of the time, but Jerry was a great host and we went to the new Tampa Historical Center. I was most interested in the exhibit of the Seminole Tribe and the Indian Wars. One of the generals in the war against the Seminoles was Zachary Taylor who later became President. Interesting to me because the person who homesteaded my quarter section was named Zachary Taylor Cox - obviously after the President of that name.

The next day we went to one of my favorite places, Ybor City, the Cuban quarter of Tampa, where we had lunch at Columbia - my favorite restaurant in the US, I believe. Fried plantains send me to heaven :) We went to the El Molino coffee roasters and I ordered Cuban coffee to be shipped home - it is best made very strong and has a wonderful flavor.

So now I am back to being alone again on my hill and watching the snow squalls of April driving through. I loved being with the children and miss them a lot. I wish we lived closer, but at the moment we are driven by our choices, them to the east and me to my beloved west. As Frank Lloyd Wright said when he selected the site for Taliesin West “This is pure abstraction wherever you look.”

Stormy Days

 

daily poem

 

wind thunder lightning

hail and snow all in an hour

exciting weather

abraham would have decreed

god is angry with the world

he must be watching congress

 

 A large storm system is moving through. It started last night and was quite exciting. First there were huge wind gusts (about 50 mph) that battered the house and made the metal surround on the chimney vibrate. Then large dark clouds came racing through bringing rain that changed to snow pellets/hail, along with lightning and thunder claps; finally horizontal snow!  It lasted about two hours and then everything stopped except for the wind which rammed the house most of the night at intervals. This morning brought light snow and a lot more wind. The sun is trying to break through but is acting feeble, at best. 

The last few days I have been entertained by an early chipmunk who is feeding on the seed inside an old thistle sock. He climbs the cedar tree then leaps about 18-20 inches onto the sock. I would give him an Olympic medal for his efforts. The Juncos love him. He has made larger holes in the sock and after he takes his new stash to the larder under the rocks, they move in and feed through the new holes. Symbiosis at its best!

 

I have been catching up on a few chores, but just couldn't face the vacuum today so am blogging, and reading instead. As my first husband, Bob, used to say "It'll still be there tomorrow."

 

Refrigerator Soup

 Grey skies to the east - morning snow

Wind chime against light snowfall

daily tanka

President's Day

Lincoln and Washington

great men in their time

both saw their people struggling

what struggle would they see now

Soup for a Thrifty President

Leftover meat or tofu chopped small

1-2 Tbsps olive oil

1/2 small onion chopped

1 clove garlic chopped

1 large yellow potato diced

2 large fresh tomatoes skinned and diced

(or as in my case 1/2 can leftover diced tomatoes)

1 can low sodium chicken or vegetable broth 

2 Tbsps chopped basil
1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne

Saute the meat in the oil if uncooked.  Remove and set aside.

Saute the onion and garlic in the oil until transparent.

Add meat, diced potatoes, tomatoes, basil and broth.

Bring to simmering point; turn down the heat 

and simmer for an hour.

Serve with toast points or crackers.

Today I woke up to grey skies and snow flurries with a colder day forecast. I slept in and then got a series of phone calls so felt I was behind - then told myself it was alright as it was a national holiday anyway!  

By the time noon rolled around I felt like some homemade soup. So I looked in the refrigerator and made the recipe above with a couple of skinned and diced Italian sausages that I needed to use up.  Ate a late but delicious President's day lunch.

A Gift of Daffodils

An Ex-Patriot Thinks Of Spring

In January snowdrops push

Their sleepy heads through ice and snow,

To shake their white and emerald bells,

While we wait for spring.

On February’s sunny days

The crocus flings its petals wide

In gold and purple majesty,

Then spring is on the way.

Beset by March gusts, pounding rain,

The daffodil on sturdy stalks

Waves cheerful trumpets as we pass

And spring is here again.

On sunny April days we walk

By green and mossy country banks

And gather creamy primroses

And then we know it’s spring.

In May through wood and copse we stroll

To stop and sigh and wonder there,

At bluebells bobbing mile on mile

To celebrate the spring.

When Rose and Lilac scent the lane

We know that spring has yielded now

To summer’s warmth, and buzzy bees

Know spring is on the wane.

© C.Valentine 2009