These are garden pics of the past…and I am being grateful that the possibility is there again someday. So far, ol’ Mother Nature has been a challenge even with simple maintenance. The days are filled with activity without gardening pleasures and the delayed summer heat.
Yes, dandelions are the first source of nutrition for all the garden pollinators. That’s why so many bees die from ROUNDUP®︎ spray for weeds…I love the dandelions at the beginning of spring. Our local Sphinx Moths love them too (see video). Sunshine Property is GREEN. We use no harmful source in the maintenance of our property. Our guest’s health is foremost in this decision, as well as the reverence we feel for nature and animals.
Cloudy days still! Sunshine Property has lots of activity, as the tenants and resident maintenance men are always about. The pond comes back annually and the fish, even now, are hiding in its depths. One thirsty, elusive moose left its “calling card” by the unfrozen stream. Colin and I found edible plants peeking through the cold ground. The old, unused mine has emptied, no doubt, of winter “residents”. The cabins are all “spruced up” for seasonal guests.
“Perhaps the earth can teach us, as when everything seems dead and later proves to be alive.” —Pablo Neruda
Everyday I see more and more of the wildlife appear. This surely signals that snow flurries are on the way out of our weather picture. I love seeing the ducks return to the pond for their annual visit. The squirrels were busy at the bird feeders today again. Our guests often get up close and chummy with the chipmunks that live in the boulders above mine entrance. I wish I had captured the moose, mountain lion, white ferret, bobcat & bear that have all come on Sunshine Property at one time or another. I showed The upper meadow area to a Longhorn cattle breeder today. It may be that we will host the “Moms and their babies” here at Sunshine Property until fall. This could be a good thing, weighing the pros and cons. Continue reading “Getting My Ducks All in a Row”
A day last week was one of many errands, pickups, phone calls, etc. etc.……and yet amid this sometimes chaotic life of mine, I notice and feel renewed at the ageless beauty of natural things.
I snapped a picture of the “Sleeping Giant” mountain near Helena, as I took a minute and noticed just how really awesome, the place I call home.
I love sitting in the hotub listening to the creek & watching the birds in the suet feeder —-birds sometimes having to deal with the bothersome squirrels that also like the feeder. The birds have just arrived and I snapped these shots today. Named by Lewis & Clark, the famous pair that spent a lot of time here, before anything had more than Native American names. These guys are always first to arrive in Spring.
Along with the wild animals that visit my deck, Mittens, my loving & lovable cat, is an observer of all the activity. 
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Tami and I dusted things off & enjoyed being together while getting the Artisan Studio & Gift Gallery ready for 2019 season. The bad weather may keep me inside and also gives me a chance to be inspired. I am honored that Montana Artists display their art in my shop, on consignment usually. Want to add that Tami Jones is often by my side. She has been an angel in my life. Truly……one in a million!
My days are filled with such diverse things to do! Opportunities, really, to meet the challenges that present as immediate problems to solve. Today, snow again. Always on my to-do list is cabin repair & remodel, immigration details (to bring my husband here from Turkey) & Colin’s extracurricular activities. Those hours of creative time in my gallery are, at this point, a dream! We did get to spend a day in Helena at the Celestial Fair.
This is my deck. Love the sound of the creek.
Sunshine Mine Property 